Keep Holding On
by Kyatto no Edo
Summary: AU . Pre-Deathly Hallows . Post-Crossroads of Destiny but Pre-Sozin's Comet . Ginny seems to attract angsting boys with scars, as proven when she bumps into Zuko!
1. Intro

_**Keep Holding On**_

_An "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Harry Potter" crossover by Kyatto and Nako_

_-;-_

**Pairings: **_Zuko/Ginny Weasley_ (main), Mai/Zuko , Zuko/Sokka

**Notes: **The timeline of this starts at around the second half of "Book Two" of ATLA and finishes up right before Sozin's Comet. As for Harry Potter, it's actually a prediction of the future based on "Half-Blood Prince". (This was started in early 2007 before the book came out.)

-This is based on a roleplay so a few things will look like they came from out of nowhere. There's a chapter where Zuko is hanging out with Toph and she was temporarily changed into a Firebender and granted her eyesight (it went away soon after). At different points, Zuko hooks up with Mai (around the same time Book 3 started) , and he also hooks up with Sokka. Meanwhile Ginny hooked up with other people. This is just their story, though.

Through all this we realized Zuko is like Harry Potter only with slightly less angst and capslocking.

_-;-_

_Enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 1

Eyes kept forward, Zuko continued to trudge through the charred wood that made up one of the few forests left in the Fire Nation. The haze from all the smoke stung from not being around it for so long. He went on for a good long while before he finally made his way out. Upon exiting the less dense than normal forest he came upon a metal construction site being built over one of the more volcanic parts of the island. It was most likely going to be used to build more weapons, his father never quit with that. Remembering what had been agreed upon he sped down to the meeting spot near the entrance.

Azula stood there waiting for him, leaning against an iron scaffold. Checking her nails nonchalantly she smiled when she heard footsteps approaching. Looking as innocent as possible for her she turned her head to look at him, a dangerous glow in her eyes. "So, you've decided to come after all, Zuzu. I've been waiting for so long I was about to think you stood me up."

"And I see you're here alone," he replied with a mildly devious smirk. "Mai and Ty Lee decide to bail on you? Some friends."

"Where's Uncle, or that pathetic group that follows the Avatar around? Looks like you've got no back up either," a grin spread across her lips. "I wouldn't be talking like that if I were you."

"Touché," Zuko nodded. "Shall we?" He motioned towards the boarded path workers used to navigate the site.

"So quick to cut to the chase?" Azula feigned surprise. "Alright then." With an airy wave she led him into the depths of the site, the smell of melted metal and molten rock surrounding them.

"I'm not a criminal," he said firmly as they walked together, side-by-side. "Why the hell did you put up a warrant for arrest?"

"Oh Zuzu," she held a hand to her chest as if he had broken her heart. "You really think it was I who would've done such a thing?"

He tried not to look bothered by her obvious fake innocence, "Yes…and quit calling me that already. We're not kids anymore."

"What would you prefer I call you, then? Prince Zuko?" she then leaned in close so her lips were barely inches from his ear and she whispered, "Or perhaps Lord Zuko?"

A shiver ran down his spine as her words tickled against his ear. He refused to let himself falter, "My name is fine enough."

"Dear brother," Azula glowered for a moment. "What's with the higher than thou attitude you're pulling with me? It's so very unlike you."

"I told you Azula," Zuko turned his head to look at her. "I've changed."

"Oh right," she rolled her eyes. "Like spending a few weeks alone with the world's "last hope" and his friends could possibly change who you are." She gave him a playful shove. "Come on…You're Zuko. Prince Zuko. You've been trained by the finest in the Fire Nation to be practically the next coming apocalypse. It's the destiny you are made for, been bred for. Are you really planning on throwing it all away? All the power and the honor, destined for you?" She couldn't help the glee beginning to well up in her. Had she finally gotten her wish granted?

"I never said that, Azula," he replied dryly. "I've just got a new way of looking at things…and that's something Uncle's shown me. Not Aang."

"So does the little brat excuse for an Avatar have a name now?" Azula chuckled, blinking sweetly like a little schoolgirl. "It's like he's your pet now. Aw, how sweet! Won't Father be proud?" Her eyes then held a devilish darkness to them. "Or at least he would be if you'd complete your mission and bring the kid home like you're supposed to."

He shot her a glare, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Zuzu," she purposely used his nickname to get on his nerves-to try to get the rise she needed. "That even still Father considers you to be a miserable failure and you have no hope of ever having your honor restored now." Azula's soft laugh had a maniacal edge to it that was meant to give one a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach. "Your throne is gone, Zuko. You've failed. Just like Uncle!"

"Keep Uncle out of this…" Zuko eyed her dangerously. "And I have not failed. Just because I refuse to be Father's little errand boy does not mean I don't have other plans in store."

"What might they be? Lazing around doing nothing but peasants' work while getting your carnal instincts satisfied by some whore?" A taunting look flickered in her eyes. "I would've thought the Avatar would be enough for you…Guess I thought wrong."

"Leave her out of this…" his voice was a low growl, and if looks could kill his sister would've been dead on the spot. "You act like you know everything…"

"It's not an act," She waved his statement off as if it was a joke. "I do indeed know everything. Unlike you I actually learn about my opponent before rushing into things."

"I have a valuable tile in my game that you certainly do not possess," Zuko tried to look as if he had full confidence in himself though his voice was showing otherwise.

Azula's brows rose at this, "Uncle teaching you Pai Sho analogies for battle already?" Again, she laughed at him. "Really now, what could you possibly have learned that I have not already mastered?"

"Unlike you, dear sister," He took a few steps ahead and turned around so he was facing her head on. "I've learned from watching others' mistakes…as well as my own."

"You're so naïve, Zuzu," She rolled her eyes at him and smirked broadly. "Do you really think you're good enough on your own? Should I remind the first time we faced off like this Uncle saved your hide? And then the second time it was the Avatar and those who travel along with him? You're weak on your own, Zuko. Always have been, always will be." Keeping her eyes locked on him, she took a few steps forward.

"That's what you think," Zuko glared at her, taking more steps backwards as she took more forwards. "I've had time to learn new tricks."

"Oh I know," Azula chuckled deviously. "Who would've thought the part you have down there actually did anything? Your lady must have a high level of patience to put up with your foolish attempts. I'm proud of you brother, really. Next time come back when you've actually learned to do something useful…"

Soon he was no longer walking on wooden board and instead on metal scaffolding. "I'm not kidding you, Azula."

"Could this be Zuzu trying to be all manly and serious?" her bottom lip stuck out in a faked pout. She burst out into a wicked cackle. "You're funny, really. I humor you as much as Ty Lee humors Uncle. You sure pick a lot up from the old buffoon." She too made her way onto the thin strip of metal, the sounds the heels of her boots made echoed.

"Is this why you called me out here? To make fun of me?" Zuko stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her seriously.

"If I'm not mistaken you requested to see me," Azula waggled her eyebrows suggestively for a moment before continuing. "I just chose the location," she too stopped moving. "No matter, actually I have a …proposition of sorts."

"What sort of 'proposition'?" he glowered at her, obviously suspicious of any ulterior motives she might have.

She delicately tiptoed up to him and leaned in close so her face was mere inches from his. "Instead of always gallivanting off on your own, why don't you just suck up your pride and come with me? Family is everything…and I am a master after all…There's a lot you could learn….Think about it Zuko," Azula leaned in even closer so her lips were near his ear, her voice a dark whisper. "With me you could have everything back. Anything you could ever want would be yours. Father would be proud of you, he'd love you again. And dear mother wouldn't be so ashamed of having such a failure for a son…rest her soul..."

"What…?" Zuko's eyed widened in shock. "….She isn't….You…." He couldn't help but stammer, his hands shaking with the desperate need to choke her on the spot.

"Now, Zuko…" Her lips curled into a sinister smile as she brought her hand up to cup his cheek, looking meaningfully into his eyes. "…Have I ever lied to you?"

He didn't even need to ponder that for long before stepping back to launch of ball of fire at her. "Yes…" Zuko snapped bitterly when the flame went out before it even reached her, more of a warning shot than anything. "…You have."

"Can't say I didn't try to be reasonable with you," she shrugged before leaping up to launch a ball of fire of her own at him…and this was not a warning shot.

Skidding on the slippery metal he managed to dodge it but just barely. He flicked his wrists so two slender fire daggers came from them and he dashed at her, swinging a fist.

As if he were nothing more than a pesky fly she blocked his punch and brought her leg up to kick him in the side.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite expecting that sort of retaliation so her foot collided with his ribs and he faltered for a moment, clutching his side for a bruise would surely form. Snarling like an enraged animal, he focused his bending energy into the fires beneath him and pulled up a strand of flames long enough to be a whip. No sooner did he acquire it before he swung it at her.

She contorted her body so the flames grazed against her hair, frying some ends off. With a glare she backed up until she was back on the wooden planks, shooting small flame bullets from her fingertips.

Zuko hissed and winced in pain as the small flames pelted against him, all leaving little burns in their wake. He charged forward at her, shooting a rather large fire blast from his fist.

A small wall of blue flame spread in front of her as Azula used it to shield her from his blast. With the same blue fire she molded it into a ball and shot a beam of it directly at him.

Not quite quick on his feet, Zuko tripped as he attempted to dodge it and it sent him flying backwards. He clung desperately onto the metal scaffold like a cat onto a tree branch, his nails leaving marks.

As she saw him struggle to pull himself back up she approached him, a wickedly pleased expression dancing in her eyes. Coyly, she leaned forward and looked at him. "Guess we now know who the superior truly is….darling, brother." With a laugh she shoved him.

Her shove was the final leverage against him and he slid off, falling into the fiery depths below.

Satisfied with herself, and pleased with the fact the throne was now hers she turned on her heel and started walking away.

Within a few moments of his fall he came bolting upwards like a rocket, flames blasting out around him and he landed back behind her. "I told you I've learned…." He smirked, the flames brushing off him and disappearing into the air, leaving his clothes and skin charred and burned.

"So you have…" Azula grinned and whipped around to launch another flame at him.

Not making the same mistake twice he whipped out his broadswords and used them to direct the blast of fire away from him. He then focused his energy into heat and used his swords to direct bursts of flames right back at her.

She dodged as much as possible, some bits of her clothing getting burned in the process. Snarling, Azula lunged at him with no more than a flame covered fist.

With a loud clang as her fist met his blade, Zuko blocked her and swung the other at her.

She swerved so the blade missed cutting her open and continued to force herself upon him, swinging a fiery kick to knock him off balance.

Her foot hit him hard in the side and he faltered for a moment, backing up. There was a loud thunderclap and brief flashes of lightning as a storm started to build. Deciding that direct force wasn't going to allow him to win, he backed up quickly until he was on the wooden boards on the other side of the scaffold. Quickly, so his back wouldn't be turned to her for long, he ran forward until he was out of the site and into a clearing. Where neither of them wouldn't risk the negative effects of being over fire during a storm.

As Zuko tried to make a run for it Azula took off after him, blasting flames out behind her to give an extra boost. She could feel a few droplets of rain splash against her cheeks. When they made it to the clearing she launched another blast of fire at him. "Playing with knives will get you nowhere, even now!"

"I'm just not afraid to break tradition," Zuko retorted using his swords to absorb the fire and launched it back at her.

"Zuko," she shook her head, welling up steadily growing balls of fire in her palms. "You're a Firebender, manipulating your element is in your blood! Use it!" She then blasted the fire at him.

Hastily, he bent over backwards as far as he could go, the fire grazing across his torso, burning his clothes off to expose his chest and stomach. "I'd rather broaden my horizons and learn newer techniques," he brought himself back up, the remaining fabric of his top falling off his shoulders slightly. The rain was getting heavier, and the ground squishy.

The sound of thunder and lightning was like music to Azula's ears. "Give up now and run away…or join me, whatever you wish….Or even better, just give in and let me kill you…" She took slow steps towards him. "Either way, no matter what you decide, you'll always fail. No matter what." A grin formed on her face. "Trust me Zuko, there's no way you're getting out of this."

"Before I came here…" Zuko held his swords in front of him as a defensive posture. "I made a promise to someone that I'd make it….and unlike you…." He shot almost-blue flames from his swords at her. "I keep to my word."

"Your touchingly cute soft side is your downfall," Azula directed his flames away from her. "You've lost, Zuko. This is the part where you kneel before me, begging for mercy. There's no way either of us could keep this going with the rain building." She glared at him. "We both know I'm the better make for ruler of the Fire Nation. So do it, Zuko, bow to me…" She started circling him.

Rain starting to come down in heavy sheets, Zuko kept his gaze locked on her. "I'll never…" he aimed the tip of one sword at her, towards her throat. "Bow to you."

"You'll regret that!" And with that statement a bolt of lighting came and Azula brought it to her. Quick as a flash she lunged and directed it right at his sword.

The loud crack of the bolt of lightning striking into the metal of his sword was like one being shot in the heart with a bullet. It surged through the metal into his arm and rippled through his body. Desperately he recalled what his uncle had showed him and tried to direct it out. It scraped passed his heart singed his lungs but managed to pass through. Coughing up blood, his weapons dropped to the ground along with his body.

Smirking, Azula walked up to his limp body and knelt down to tilt his head up. "It's over, Zuzu…I win. The right to rule is something you're born lucky with. Not for someone who is lucky to be born." With that she kicked him and walked off, not even bothering to look back at the brother she abandoned.

Feeling dizzy and blood sputtering to his mouth, not to mention the insane amount of pain from all his burns and bruises, Zuko really thought he was going to die right there. He stared out at the hazily distance, feeling the rain soak his body and he remembered the one thing that could save his life and give him another chance. With a loud cough he uttered the one word that would be his saving grace and he vanished.


	3. Chapter 2

A loud crack was heard as Zuko appeared in Ginny's bedroom. He coughed loudly, blood dripping out of his mouth as he laid on the floor, not even bothering to try to stand. His clothes were torn and burned off so much that his skin, which was normally pale but was now a very deep shade of red, was showing. Several cuts were also bleeding and he was severely bruised. "..." He couldn't even get himself to speak.

Ginny had been half-asleep in bed when he appeared, but sat up and blinked sleepily when she was jerked awake by the crack of the Portkey. She looked around in confusion for a moment before spotting Zuko on the floor and was suddenly very awake. "Oh my god Zuko," she gasped, throwing herself out of bed and onto the floor next to him.

"Hngh..." he groaned, trying his best to sit up a little bit, blood dripping from his lip onto the floor. Again, he coughed, his face paling. "Told you..." his voice was a hoarse whisper. "...I wouldn't leave you..."

"Oh, god, Zuko," she whispered, reaching out a trembling hand to hover over his face, afraid almost to touch him. "What happened to you?"

"Ngh," He hissed through clenched teeth as he managed to bring himself up to sit. "I...fought Azula and she...she...." Angrily he slammed his fist to the floor. "She's a bitch... Pulling the lightning move on me... Next time I see her I'll fucking kill her... I'll--" he cut himself off when he started hacking again, blood spattering onto the back of his hand.

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over as she overcame her original shock and helped him to sit up. "She hit you with lightning? Oh gods, Zuko--" she gave a choked sob when she realised he was coughing up blood.

"M-managed to get it t'pass through...barely..." he mumbled, his head still spinning from the initial shock of the injury so speaking coherently was proving to be fairly difficult. "I...I..." Again, he sucked in a breath sharply through clenched teeth as another wave of burning pain hit him. His whole body shook from the shock and agony that was inflicted upon it.

Ginny swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from breaking down in tears. "You should lie down," she managed after a moment, struggling to help him stand up enough to collapse back down on her bed. She sat down next to him and stretched a hand out to brush his hair out of his eyes. "I don't know how to help you," she whispered in a broken voice.

He laid there, barely even able to muster up the energy to breathe. "I know you're no good a-at the healing magic...but do you have ice or even s'methin' like a wet rag?" Another low groan as the pain surged again. He peered up at her through half-lidded eyes and strained a smile.

Somehow the fact that he was trying to smile for her even though she could tell he was in incredible pain just made her feel worse. "I... yeah-- hang on a minute, love--" she stood and hesitated a moment, staring at him, before bolting for the kitchen. She returned moments later with several of the odd Muggle ice packs her mother had decided she needed the last time she was there as well as a damp rag. She distributed her handful of ice packs over what looked like the worst of his burns and used the rag to begin very carefully wiping the blood from his face. "Why did you have to go after her?" she asked in an almost pleading tone, still fighting to control her tears.

"Because... If I don't stand up to her no one else will... I'm not going to let her have everything..." He looked off to one side, not meeting her gaze. When the cold icepacks started taking effect he let out a sigh of relief, feeling his skin cooling. "I should've known she would've tried this... I'm such a fucking dumbass."

"No you aren't," she disagreed immediately, dropping the rag on the nightstand. "You'e not, you're a very intelligent person, and you have such a strong sense of right and wrong. You did what you knew was right--" she clapped a hand over her mouth, ducking her head so he wouldn't see her cry. "Oh gods, why do you have to be such a good person..."

The sight of seeing her cry made him bite his lip, his eyes widening. With a sigh he looked at her intently, his hand twiching for a moment as he considered lifting it but decided not to in case the strain would make him hurt more. "And why do you have to care so much...?" he whispered softly.

"Because you're-- you're you," she replied. "Zuko, don't you understand how much I love you?"

"..." Again, he looked away from her. "Love's just another general word for affection or admiration... It's lost its true meaning over time..." Mumbling incoherently to himself, he brought his hand up to wipe a few drops of sweat off his forehead. "I thought my father 'loved' me in the way you use it...but no... Thought my mother loved me too and my sister... Look what happened... I don't trust that word anymore."

Ginny didn't even want to think about the sort of things he must have suffered to make him think so negatively. "No-- Zuko--" she shook her head. "You don't understand..." She lay down next to him, as close as she could while still avoiding his injuries; she wanted to look him in the eye as she spoke. "I am completely recklessly in love with you, Zuko. If the only way I could be with you was to leave everything I have here behind -- I would do it, and happily, because it would mean that you were with me."

"I... You..." Zuko couldn't even think of the right words to respond to that with. Painful tears welled up and he blinked several times, refusing to let them fall. "I-If that's what it truly means...." He reached up to cup her face, looking meaningfully into her eyes. "Then I'm in love with you too."

She swallowed hard, forcing back the fresh tears that threatened at his words. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, reaching up to take his hand. "I almost did lose you. Do you have any idea how terrified I was, Zuko?"

"I know...I know...." he lowered his gaze, brushing his thumb over her cheek lightly. "I'm sorry, I really am. It's just... I didn't want you to follow me. You're safer here. If you had been there...She would have killed you without hesitation. I'm used to her style of fighting so I've built up a fair defense but...I didn't want to take the risk. That's why I left without telling you."

She shook her head. "That's not how it works, love. If we're going to be together you've got to trust me -- you've got to tell me these sort of things, and trust that I'll listen to you and understand. And I'm not without defences, you know."

Again, he sighed, dropping his hand back down beside him. "I know you're not... It's just, what you have here is different. There's no way you could deflect some of the things she throws. Not without proper instruction. I've spent years training for this kind of shit and even I am useless against her! She knows I have an attachment to you, and she will use it against me. You've become a target and there's no way in hell I'm ever going to let anything happen to you! I've already lost another person to her and my father... I'm not going to have that happen again..." It took a great deal of will to keep himself from crying. "You're all I have left. If I lose you... That's it..."

"Love..." she reached up and took his hand, weaving her fingers through his. "If you're that worried about me -- I understand that, I do. But you still have to talk to me. You can't just go haring off to possibly get yourself killed without at least telling me you're leaving first. I've spent the last week living in terror that I'd never see you again, because I didn't know where you were or what you were doing. I can't go through that again."

"You wouldn't understand anyway even if I told you..." Grumbling, he took his hand away from hers and looked afield.

Ginny resisted the instant impulse to fold her arms and glare. "What do you mean, I wouldn't understand," she said, the threat still clear in her voice.

"You just wouldn't," Zuko snapped bitterly. "So it doesn't even matter."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she retorted angrily.

"Look, just forget I said anything..." he muttered scornfully, still refusing to look at her. "...Alright?"

"No, not all right. Explain what you're talking about," she said, sitting up to stare down at him.

"It's nothing," he shot her a glare. "Just...forget it..." Clearly frustrated, his palm met his forehead and he sighed.

"Zuko..." she sighed as well and pulled his hand away from his face. "I mean it, love, you have to talk to me. That's the only way this relationship is going to work."

"I will talk, but it'll be when I know what the hell is even going on and what I'm going to do about it..." He peered up at her and blinked slowly, frowning. "Now really isn't the best time."

She sighed, her anger evaporating, and lay back down, brushing her fingers lightly across his chest. "I'll leave it alone for now. But don't think you've gotten out of giving me any answers, love."

Smirking, he rolled over slightly so he was facing her. "I know. It'll come up again...eventually..." A weird moment of silence then his smirk turned into a grin. "...I like it when you're mad...is that weird?"

She gave him a half-exasperated, half-amused look. "Perhaps a bit."

"What the fuck," he grumbled as he started hurting again. "I should be used to fire so why the hell does this have to hurt so damn much? Gah..."

Ginny's face fell. "Oh, love. I don't know what else to do for you..."

"Hmm..." He pondered for a few seconds. "Get back a little bit."

She blinked at him for a second. "Y--yeah," she said finally, scooting back to the end of the bed. "What're you going to do?"

"An emergency technique I was showed... Not sure if it'll do much, but I think I've recovered from the shock enough," Zuko took in a deep breath and held it for a moment, before screaming in agony as his whole body steamed. It was so painful he had to cover his mouth to keep his cries from being too loud. "...N-Not... Ah... Doing t-that again..."

Ginny shrieked and fell off the end of the bed. "Zuko!" she shouted, sitting back up again. "What the fucking hell was that-- oh my god--"

A few slow, deep breaths before he broke out into heavy pants. "If one was to get severely burned, accidentally or otherwise, it's to direct some of the heat out of the skin to make the wounds heal faster. Defense mechanism for quick recovery during battle or an Agni Kai."

"Goddess you scared me," she said, crawling back up next to him on the bed. "...Did it help at all?"

"Mmm...yeah....a little," he sighed, bringing his hand up to rest it on her shoulder. "Still hurts but it's not quite as constant. At least... I can move now without it feeling like I was being killed." Coughing, he had to cut himself off for a moment. Fortunately, there was no blood this time. "Sorry...for scaring you..."

"Oh, Zuko," she murmured, lying back down and very gingerly wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry I can't help you more."

"It's not your fault I'm an idiot," Zuko gently brushed his lips against hers, knowng full well that blood and sizzling flesh wounds were very much unsexy so therefore there'd be no macking. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

She kissed him softly, desperately glad that she had him back again. "You had better be. Oh--" she sat up abruptly. "I'd forgotten-- I'll be right back." She jumped up and ran out of the room, returning a moment later with her laptop, which she placed on the nightstand. "Orihime's coming over in a bit. She should be able to help."

"Orihime?" he blinked a few times. "Oh, right, I remember....." His confused look turned to a smile. "She's cool. It'l be nice to see her." He then glanced down at himself and noticed what a bloody mess he was. "The hell...I need a bath." Very seriously this was said, although he did pout slightly.

Ginny giggled slightly at him. "You know you're always welcome to use my bathroom," she said.

"But I don't think I can get up..." Zuko's voice had a slight whine to it and he frowned.

Ginny sighed. "If I help you in there can you manage by yourself?" she asked.

"Probably," he grinned deviously.

She decided to ignore the grin and worked an arm under his shoulders, helping him sit upright and then stand. "All right, love?" she asked.

"Ngh," he gasped as he put weight on one foot. Something must've twisted at some point. "N-yeah..."

She walked slowly with him into her bathroom, stopping to help him lean up against the counter so she could lean into the shower and turn the water on. "I imagine you can handle the rest by yourself," she said in a slightly amused tone.

"I don't know..." Zuko's voice had a sly edge to it, though it tried covering it up by looking like he was in agony. Which he was, but he had been trained not to let it show. "You might have to help me."

Her voice was definitely amused now as she said, "Zuko, you're ridiculous."

He gave her the saddest, most pitiful pout ever and wibbled, "But you love me....? And what if I fall down and break my head? You said you don't want me to die...."

"You are not going to fall down and break your head," Ginny said. "If you're really that concerned I'll sit on the sink, how's that sound?"

"Gah-," Zuko gasped softly when he managed to get his clothes off, the cool air stinging slightly against his burned skin. "Fine," He then limped into the shower. "I've got my eye on you..."

She giggled at him and hopped up onto the sink, swinging her legs back and forth in the kneespace. "Feeling any better, love?" she called over the sound of the running water.

"This is weird... Vertical bath what the hell..." he sounded rather perplexed. "And there's this weird flowery scented stuff in here. I'm confused."

"That's my shower gel, love," she informed him. "It's soap."

"OW!" Zuko yelped. "I think I got some of it in my eye! Ow ow ow ow ow...."

"Rinse it out, idiot," she said, unconcerned.

"I am," he sort of whined. "Man, you people bathe weird..." he grumbled. "And damn this hurts like a bitch... Stupid Azula..."

"Turn the water down so it's cooler, love, it'll feel better," she suggested, toying with one of the perfume bottles on her counter.

"I'm trying..." he fumbled until he got it just right. "Hn....Better...." Zuko groaned softly as he finished washing himself. A few minutes later he managed to figure out how to turn it off and stepped out, much cleaner and dripping wet. He braced himself against the counter. "That felt good..."

Ginny giggled some more and kicked at his leg. "Dry yourself off, love, you're dripping all over the floor."

"Fine," Zuko rolled his eyes and reached for a towel. He then gingerly wrapped it around himself and winced as it clung to his burned raw skin. "Better?" He leaned back next to her.

"Yes." She reached up to push his wet hair out of his eyes. "You may want to get dressed, though, I don't know when Orihime is going to be here."

"Hm..." He finished drying off and slipped back in his pants which were the least damaged. "The rest looks like a lost cause..." He pointed at the strips of fabric that at one time been a shirt of some sort. "I don't think she minds shirtless men, seriously. It's not like I'm a girl."

Ginny grinned at him. "I could always lend you something I nicked from one of my brothers," she offered.

"What? Am I really that gross looking?" Zuko checked himself in the mirror. Sure he had a lot more scars now than he used to but still....Not to mention he was used to seeing battle scars anyway.

"No, love," she said, leaning over slightly to brush her lips briefly across his. "However, I thought you might like to wear something that's not half made of soot."

"You win," he smirked, gingerly wrapping an arm around her waist.

She smiled softly at him and reached up to cup his face with one hand, brushing her thumb across his cheekbone. "Gods, Zuko," she murmured, tears welling suddenly in her eyes. "I almost lost you."

"I'm sorry..." his voice lowered as he leaned into her hand. "But I'm here now and I'll be all right... Please don't cry."

"If you ever do this to me again, I swear..." she let her head drop forward to rest against his chest, lifting her other arm to wrap tightly around his waist.

Zuko sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, his burns were still sensitive to touch. Sighing, he ran his fingers through her hair, petting her. "If you want, when I'm a bit more healed I'll take you out on that date you mentioned."

She smiled and loosened her grip. "I'd like that."

"I promise," He bent down to give her a soft kiss on the lips. "And you should know by now I always keep those."

She kissed him back, still smiling against his lips. "Yes, you do," she said when she broke the kiss, leaning back and looking seriously at him.

"I missed you...so much," he whispered softly, bringing both hands to rest on her hips. "You have no idea."

"I think I do," she replied. "Swear I nearly went mad."

"M'sorry.... Really am...." Zuko pressed his lips against the side of her neck. "Missed holding you... Talking to you.... Felt so alone." He then gave her neck a light nip. "I love you so much."

"I know you are," she whispered. "I love you too..." She looked up at him. "Just promise me you won't ever run off like that again."

"I'll try not to..." he looked away.

"Zuko..." she grabbed his face in both hands and forced him to look at her. "I mean it. Promise me."

"I can't..." he whispered softly. "Make a promise I'm not sure if I can keep."

"Why can't you?" she asked him, voice shaking slightly.

"Because..." Zuko blinked slowly. "Something might happen and I'd have to go back....but I can promise that I'll never abandon you, ever."

"Can you promise not to go without telling me?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

"I won't do that again," he nodded. "I promise." The statement was followed by a smile.

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you," she said softly.

He kissed her again, this time a little deeper. "Anything for you...." Face paling, he then realized he did something stupid agains and looked away. Someone who just hacked up half a lung's worth of blood should not try to play tonsil hockey. Not very sexy at all.

Ginny kissed him back greedily until he turned away. "What's wrong, love?" she asked.

"That musn't taste all that pleasant..." he grimaced.

She shrugged. "And?"

"It's not good?" he suggested.

"Zuko." She smoothed her thumbs over his jaw and smiled at him. "Do you really imagine it matters to me?"

"Just trying to be considerate..." He smirked and leaned in to kiss her again.

She sighed happily and leaned against him, twining her arms around his neck.

"..." There was a pause. "...OW." He stepped back like she was on fire, his body suddenly choosing to remind of the fact he was still burned and injured and his jungs really weren't pleased with existing at the moment. Shaking slightly, he coughed until he wore himself out, droplets of blood spattering. Face paling, he braced himself against her and whispered, "Sorry...Still not much better...."

"Oh... oh love... I'm sorry..." she climbed off the counter and pulled him back toward her room. "You need to lie back down," she said.

"Mmm...Yeah..." He sighed softly and laid back down on her bed, this time flat on his stomach so his back could get some cold air. After a moment of silence he peered up at her. "I'm sorry for putting you through such trouble..."

"You're no trouble, love," she said, climbing up on the bed to lean against the headboard next to him. "Orihime should be here soon," she continued, running her fingers through his still-damp hair. "She'll get you healed and you'll feel better, I promise."

"Mm..." Zuko nodded, sitting up a little. "Yeah....Um, sorry for snapping at you earlier..."

She sighed. "It's all right, love. Don't expect that you've gotten out of talking to me, but I forgive you."

"Thanks," he flashed her a smile and sat up even more so her could caress her cheek with one hand and lean in for a chaste kiss.

She kissed him back, smiling slightly. "For what?" she asked.

"For being so understanding," he looked at her ever so lovingly, for the first time in a long while. Feeling content, although still in pain, he trailed small kisses up to her ear and nipped at it.

She shivered, smile widening, and slid down to lie next to him. "You should try and get some sleep, love," she said, picking up his hand and tracing the lines crisscrossing his palm with one finger.

"Mmm....Yeah...." Zuko sighed, settling back down, resting his chin on his arm. "Was afraid to pass out before 'cause I didn't want to risk falling into a coma or something...but I think I'm okay on that front now."

"Yeah, I think you are, too," she agreed. "Go to sleep," she added, kissing his forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"You'd better," he mumbled almost incoherently, his eyes fluttering closed. "...Still hurts."

"I know it does, love. We'll get you fixed up soon." She wriggled around until she could sit more upright, pulling his arm across her lap. "Sleep now."

"Hn...all right," he sighed sleepily and just drifted off, his body more tired than he thought.

*-Orihime came and did her healing thing of happy. Fae, your are awesome. Um...Then Zuko who was MAGICALLY FEELING BETTER decides he does not want to rest. So here come the handcuffs. Handcuffs are evil.-*

"I told you," Zuko whined, squirming as much as he could due to the fact one of his hands was cuffed. "Chaining me down to the bed will not make me sleep! What if I have to take a piss? You can't keep me like this forever!" Bitch. Whine. Complain. Bitch again.

"Oh, for the love of--" Ginny strode into the bedroom and planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Are you going to stop complaining? Ever?"

"When you let me go," he pouted.

She sighed heavily and dropped her hands. "All right. Fine." She dug the key out of her back pocket and sat on the edge of the bed, unlocking te handcuff from the headboard.

"Thanks," smirking, he ran his fingers down her back and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Mmm," she said, amused. "Just be good."

"I will," he sat up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just didn't like practically being chained to the bed."

"Well, you wouldn't sit still and rest," she said.

Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "I don't need to rest that much. Orihime did a pretty good job with her healing...thing." Flashing her a smirk, Zuko pulled her down on the bed beside him.

Ginny laughed and let herself be pulled onto the bed. "Still. I worry about you, love."

"I know you do," he nodded. "But I'm feeling much better now, really." Smiling, he rest a hand on her hip and leaned in to kiss her softly.

She sighed happily and kissed him back, crawling forward to lean against him. "I missed you so much," she whispered as she pulled away.

"You know I missed you too," he wrapped an arm around her loosely and brushed his lips against her neck. "I don't like not being with you."

"Me either," she said, draping an arm across his chest and snuggling up against him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," he whispered softly as he kissed down her neck. "I was just trying to keep you safe..."

"I know you were," she replied. "But, gods, Zuko, I was just so scared..."

"I wouldn't have promised you I'd be fine if I had any intention of letting myself get killed," he told her. "I'm still annoyed that I should've seen that coming. Not the first time she used a cheap shot against me. Honestly, I thought I'd come back in a bit better shape than I did. Didn't mean to frighten you at all."

"Your sister's a psychotic megalomaniac, you can't expect to be able to predict her," she said. "Just... you've got to be more careful, love... you nearly got yourself killed, and I think that might well have killed me."

"What people fail to understand..." his voice trailed off for a moment. "With her I need to do it on my own. She can already wipe out an entire population single-handedly yet I can't even take her on by myself. So if I were to have help with defeating her she still would've won because she's proven her point that I'm weak by myself while she only keeps her friends around for company. I don't care if she's stronger physically, I will find a way to kill her....even if it means I might die trying...because I know my attempts would not be in vain. She can't get what she wants...she just can't. This is something I cannot stray from, no matter how much it may hurt those closest to me..." he then turned to look at her meaningfully. "You mean the world to me. But I've got an entire country whose fate depends on the decisions I make and how well I handle things. Sometimes the price for peace means that I must sacrifice my own happiness." Lowering his gaze, he gave a defeated sigh.

Ginny was quiet for a minute. "I forget most of the time that you're royalty," she said finally, in a very soft voice. "You really have a lot of shite to deal with... that I don't even know about. Don't you?"

"Yes," Zuko replied. "I just wish for once that people would lay off. If you've never dealt with the kinds of choices put in front of me then don't even bother criticizing my decisions. If one option means one death while the other means a thousand I'm willing to sacrifice that one person to save the others. The more I keep ignoring what's been going on around me for the past eighteen years, the more people are going to suffer due to my ignorance. I need to find a way to put an end to it all before even more horrible things happen because of my father's and sister's desire for power. That's why I had to try... If I had just disappeared, without even so much as attempting to set things right before leaving, who knows what would've happened? Azula's going to go through a calm spell because I made her realize that I'm getting stronger too. While she may have won the physical fight I managed to get my point across. That's enough to allow me to bide my time and train properly so the next time I face her she'll finally see that I can live up to my title and will. " He then pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. "For now, though, I just want to be with you."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. It was incredible, the weight of the burden that he carried; she forgot about it, more often than not. As much as she loved him, she realised, there was a lot she still didn't know about him. "...is there any way that I can help you?" she asked after a minute, tilting her head back to look up at him. At the very least she could offer him that.

"Just..." he went silent for a moment before kissing her softly on the forehead and gave her a smile. "Be there for me. I want to love you, to worship you in as many ways as possible. You're my queen and I'll always treat you as such no matter what. All I ask in return is for you to just...be you. That's plenty enough for me."

"...Zuko..." she whispered, melting.

"...I don't think I could ever stop loving you," he whispered softly. Holding her tightly, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "You give me the will to keep going. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She kissed him back, softly. "I'm not all that special..." she said when she leaned back, resisting the impulse to blush.

"You're special to me," he told her and then trailed light kisses along her jaw.

She smiled and slid a hand up under his chin, turning his face toward her to kiss him. "I love you," she murmured.

"Words cannot express how much I feel for you," he kissed her back heatedly, holding her close to him. Ginny hummed contentedly and slid her hands up into his hair, kissing him back with equal fervor.

As he kissed her, Zuko ran his hands along her sides and rested them on her hips. After a while of the kissing he pulled back to catch his breath and rested his chin on her shoulder. "...Sorry, babe. Guess I'm just not really all that 'into it' right now."

She smiled at him, running her fingers through his hair. "That's all right. I'm just so glad to have you back... I'd be quite content to sit here and hold you all night."

"I could hold you forever," he whispered softly, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

Ginny swore she could feel her insides turn to mush. "Gods you're amazing," she muttered into the side of his neck, clinging to him.

"Mm'hm..." chuckling, Zuko laid back down on the bed and brought her down along with him. Gently running his hand up and down along her side he asked, "What was it you wanted to know...before?"

"Mmmm..." She shivered, eyes fluttering closed. "What?"

He then proceeded to kiss up to her ear and nip at it. "Before...when I snapped at you. You wanted to know something. What was it?"

"Oh..." She shivered again, extremely distracted as she tried to remember what, exactly, it was he'd snapped at her about. "Oh--" She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I said that you had to talk to me before you went off and did mad things like hunting down your sister, and you said I wouldn't understand, and I wanted to know what it was you thought I wouldn't understand," she remembered.

"Mmm....yeah...." Zuko sighed, still leaning against her. "I know you have brothers and all...but it's not like they're trying to take over the world or anything. Azula and I have a much different relationship. Ever since we were little she's always tried to outdo me in everything. And when I did find something I was skilled at she would always tell me it was useless and get Father to agree with her. The only person who ever listened or cared, who ever believed in my abilities was my mother...and now she's...." He cut himself off for a moment, trying to shake away that thought. "Now that she's proven that she is in fact stronger than me, I know Father will be more likely to write me out of the family line and give everything to her, just because I'm weak. He's always liked her better and I really never knew why. If I did something as petty as say something out of line I'd get my face burned off, and if she set one of his valuable scrolls on fire the most she'd get was a talking-to and a slap on the wrist. I don't know what his problem is... Anyway, so if she does succeed even worse things will happen there and I can't allow it because that'd mean another many years' worth of pain and suffering and I just want it to end but it won't end if I can't even lay a hand on her because she's just better than me!" Upon finishing that statement he panted heavily then bit his lip and turned his head away.

Ginny stared at him for a moment, shock on her face. "Zuko..." she said finally, and reached up to hook her hand under his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Just because she can beat you in a fight does not mean that she is better than you. From what you've said, and what I've read, it sounds to me as though she and your father both are complete maniacs. He's a despot and she's no better. You..." She smiled at him. "You are a compassionate, caring person who genuinely wants to help his people. You have the strongest sense of honour of anyone I've ever met. You're intelligent and loving--" She shook her head. "She may be stronger physically, but I've seen your heart, and in that you far surpass her -- or your father. You are the better person, Zuko, and that is what will make you a great ruler someday."

"..." He went silent for a while, tears welling up in his eyes though he kept them from falling. "...This is why I love you so much..." He gave her a rather hard kiss on the mouth, gripping at her shirt.

"Mmph--" She giggled and returned the kiss happily, her hand sliding up to cup his cheek. "I just told you the truth," she said, smiling, when she finally pulled back to catch her breath.

Smirking, he kissed her softly along her jawline. "There's only one thing she'll alwyas have over me....but I'm never going to tell you." He looked at her and grinned.

Her jaw dropped in mock indignation. "Oh, now, you can't just go and say something like that and then not explain. Tell me!"

"Nothing, babe." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Ohhh, not fair," she said, pouting at him.

"Besides," he nipped at her pouty lip. "It might make you hate me."

"Not possible," she said, tilting her head up to kiss him briefly.

"What'll I get if I tell you?" Zuko kissed her back and grinned.

"Mmm... I don't know," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching as she tried to resist smirking. "What d'you want?"

"Hm," he pondered it for a moment, then a devious smirk formed on his face. "If I tell you... Then we'll have to try something 'new'.... If you get what I mean." He nipped at her neck.

She let the smirk spread across her face. "Oh, you're going to have to be very creative to come up with something I've never tried, love," she said, trailing her fingers down his arm.

"I'm sure I could think of something..." Zuko whispered in an amused tone, nuzzling against her.

"Do share," she said softly, tracing down his spine.

"Thought you wanted me to tell you first," he smiled.

"Mmm, yes, that, and then whatever sort of idea you have," she replied.

"Let's just say.... Azula was very possessive of her 'dear' brother," he chuckled, kissing down her neck. "Only wanted me all to herself. Silly girl."

Ginny thought about this for a moment. "Oh," she said when it clicked. "No, yeah, I knew that already, you and Sokka had an entire conversation about it in my journal." She grinned at him.

"Not only that..." he whispered, trailing his fingers along her side. "Anytime I'd ever do something to threaten her.... She'd uh...'put me in my place' so to speak....and I hate to admit it but...." A sigh. "She was quite good at it too."

She took a moment to process that before spluttering with laughter. "Zuko! That's awful," she giggled.

He glowered, "What's so funny?"

Still giggling, she leaned up and kissed him again. "Nothing."

"You confuse me," he frowned but kissed her back nonetheless.

"Mmm," she agreed. "When don't I? Now," she continued, dropping her voice slightly. "What sort of... trade did you want to make?" She trailed a fingertip along his jaw as she spoke.

"Hm," Zuko thought about this for a moment, smiling wickedly at her. Then a rather sinister glint flickered in his eyes and he nipped at her ear. "Since I'm still a bit weak from recovering and I'm not sure if I have the usual stamina, why don't you..." He licked along her neck up behind her ear.

"Why don't I what?" she asked, still speaking in a low, breathy tone.

"Mmmm..." he murmured softly, licking along her neck again. "I'm sure you could figure it out..." After stretching a little, he sat up a bit more. "Don't have to now though if you don't feel like it." He flashed her a smirk, "After all I'm here to serve you."

"What have I told you about using your words, Zuko?" she purred, smirking back at him.

"But I prefer action," he pouted, tracing a finger up her stomach. "And I hate it when you purr like that..."

"Oh? Why d'you hate it?" she asked, deliberately speaking in the same purring voice.

"'cause..." he shivered. "It makes me want things..." Voice lowering to a whisper he leaned in to kiss down her neck. "When I shouldn't be in the mood to want anything at all."

"You shouldn't?" she replied, still speaking low, tilting her chin up to nip at his earlobe.

"No," his breath hitched in his throat for a moment. "You even said I should be healing now anyway..."

"There's more than one kind of healing," she breathed, dragging her fingernails lightly down his chest and stomach.

"Hn..." Zuko groaned softly, biting his lip. "Y-Yeah..N-N-No...Should not want... Must not.... Should rest...."

"You rested for a long time earlier," she murmured, skimming her nails along the waist of his pants. "Even if you did shout at me the entire time."

"T-True....but still...." he sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth, his eyes shutting tight and his face flushing as he turned his head away. "I'm not sure if I can last for long...."

She chuckled. "All right... I'll leave you alone for now." She lifted her head to brush a light kiss across his lips before snuggling up against his chest and closing her eyes. "Night Zuko."

"....Hey...." Zuko glanced down at her and frowned, obviously perplexed at the fact she started getting him all hot and bothered and then just stopped. "Cruel."

"Who, me?" She opened one eye and peered innocently up at him.

"Yes you," he pouted.

"Aww." She reached up and brushed her thumb across his lip. "Don't pout."

"Tease," he whispered as he trailed his fingers lightly along her spine.

"I am not," she protested immediately, opening her other eye and glowering at him. He knew she hated that word.

"Are too..." he whined, looking slightly pitiful.

She glared at him for a moment longer and then made a Hmph noise and rolled over, deliberately turning her back toward him. Teach him to call her a tease.

"Come on babe...." Zuko whispered, brushing her hair away so he could kiss the back of her neck. With one hand he then lightly squeezed her hip. "Didn't mean it in a bad way."

"I'm not a tease," she sulked.

"What are you then?" he smirked.

"I'm yours, Zuko," she said to the wall. "I've given you everything there is of me. I am not a tease."

"Mm," Zuko breathed against her neck then nipped at it. "All mine?"

She nodded, still not looking at him.

"I like that..." he moaned softly, brushing his fingers along her stomach. "I like that a lot, babe..."

"'m'not a tease," she grumbled, still feeling as though she hadn't gotten her point across.

"Hm....Prove it," he smirked, groping her butt.

Definitely not, she decided, and didn't respond.

Zuko went still for a moment. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked quietly with genuine concern. "What's the matter?"

"I don't like being called a tease," she said quietly, still speaking to the wall. "I'm not. I'm a flirt, yes, I'll be the first to admit that, but I am not a tease. That would mean I promise things that I don't give, and I don't do that."

"I'm sorry..." he said, then kissed along her neck lightly. "Didn't mean anything bad by it... You know that..."

"I know. That doesn't stop it from hurting, though."

"I take it back, then," he told her, pulling her closer to him. "You're not a tease...just a flirt." A smirk.

"D'you mean that?" she asked, hearing the smirk in his voice. "Or are you just telling me what I want to hear?"

"I mean it, babe," he nuzzled against her. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

She finally rolled over onto her back and looked up at him, sighing softly. "Don't do it again, yeah?"

"I won't," Zuko leaned over and kissed her. "I promise."

Ginny smiled slightly and kissed him back, letting him know he was forgiven. "Thank you."

He smiled back at her. "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied and smiled wider, reaching up to brush his fringe away from his face.

"Tired?" he asked quietly. "Want to continue later?"

"Mmm." She nodded. "And I know you must be."

"Hn... Yeah..." he snuggled up next to her. "But I'm still holding you to it..." Grinning, he traced his fingers along her stomach.

She laughed sofly and grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers. "Go to sleep."

"Mm'okay," he blinked sleepily and kissed her cheek. "Only 'cause you asked so nicely."

"Love you," she whispered again, watching him as he started to drift off to sleep.

"...Love you more...." he whispered softly and then passed out cold. His body more exhausted than he thought and it all finally caught up with him.

Having accomplished what she'd wanted to in the first place, Ginny smiled to herself and snuggled up against his chest, finally allowing herself to drift off to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter 3

"So I'm like...back," Zuko announced as he closed the front door and took off his shoes. "What're you up to?"

Ginny was sprawled out on the couch, facing away from him; for some reason there was a pile of fruit on the coffee table next to her, peaches and strawberries mostly. She tipped her head backward to look at him upside-down as he spoke, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Hi, Zuko."

"I really shouldn't be surprised but..." He stepped into the room and picked up a peach. "Why exactly do you have a pile of fruit just randomly there? Making some sort of salad?"

"Mmm... I like fruit," she said, still beaming at him.

"I can see that," he replied observantly and juggled the peach with his hand in a bored-like fashion. ".....Why are you smiling at me like that? I thought you were mad..."

"Mmmmm," she agreed, watching the peach. Her eyes slid back up to his face and her grin widened. "You're pretty."

"Am I?" he chuckled, obviously amused, as he set the peach back atop its pile then sat down on the edge of the couch. "Really?"

"Yesss..." she struggled upright and then reached out and plucked a strawberry out of the pile. "Have a... berry," she offered, holding out about an inch from his nose.

"Allright," he agreed and then took the berry from her with his teeth. It was soon eaten and he smiled at her. "...There was something on it... Please tell me you're not poisoning me... Oh shit I knew you were still mad... The other night wasn't everything... Crap I'm going to die...."

"Bananas," she said very seriously.

"That doesn't make sense," Zuko was starting to sound worried. "Shit I'm so dead..."

"No you aren't. Silly Zuko." She smiled at him again and crawled over onto his lap. "It's banana. I have grapes too."

"Poisoned grapes?" he eyed her suspiciously.

"No," she insisted. "Apple ones. The peaches are mango and the straw... strawberries are banana and the grapes are apple!" She nodded furiously. It felt strange so she kept doing it, giggling.

"Uh....huh...." he pondered this for a moment as he ate a grape, then recognized what it was he tasted. "Oh! Not poison.... Alcohol..... Wait.... Babe... Are you drunk by any chance?"

"Mmmmaybe," she said, still giggling, and stretched languorously against his chest. "Mmm. I like fruit."

"I'm aware," he nodded and then smiled deviously. With one hand he grabbed a grape and put it between his teeth. "Want it?"

"Yes please," she said cheerfully, and reached out and snatched it from him. She beamed at him some more as she bit it in half. "Apples are good too," she added.

His face fell and he just stared at her for a moment before letting his hands wander up and down her sides. "I'm never going to get a break am I?"

She ate the other half of her grape, watching him carefully, and then tipped over to rest her head against his shoulder, looking at him sideways through her eyelashes. "Did you know strawberries are an aphrodisiac?" she asked, with some difficulty.

"Really? How so?" he asked with curiosity, stroking her hair and glancing down at her.

She shrugged, reaching a hand up to trace her fingers along the edge of his jaw. "Idunno."

"Hey..." he whispered seductively to her, kissing along her jaw up to her ear. "I have something for you..."

"Hmmmm?" she asked, only half paying attention; the other half of her focus was on getting her hands on another peach.

"Something for you..." he repeated, nipping at her earlobe. "But you have to get it."

"Kay," she said affably, not entirely certain what she was agreeing to, but not particularly caring either.

"I'll show you..." Zuko told her, gently grabbing her hand and he lead it down to where the certain something was located. "Right...There...."

"Mmmm..." She grinned wickedly at him. "You... are bad." Propping herself up with her free hand, she leaned over so her face was hovering above his. "Very bad," she repeated in a breathy voice.

"So is that a no?" he asked then lightly flicked his tongue across her lips. "None for the bad boy?"

In response she moved the hand that had been supporting her to cup his cheek, dropping her head to kiss him as she fell heavily onto his chest.

"Oh....yes..." he groaned, gripping onto her back as he kissed her roughly.

Ginny purred in the back of her throat and kissed him harder, sliding her hand up from his lap and under his shirt to splay her fingers out across his stomach.

He moaned softly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and let his hands travel lower to come to rest on her hips. It was getting to the point where he didn't care if she was drunk, stoned, or warped mad, he felt this was long overdue and he wanted it now. So what if it seemed selfish on his part, it was the least she could do after the sort of sacrifice he had to make.

She pulled away for a moment to catch her breath, trailing her lips along his jawline and down the side of his neck. "Zuko..." she murmured.

"Mmmm...." He pulled her shirt up slightly to brush his fingers over her back and stomach. "Am I still being punished?"

"No," she said shortly, nipping at his collarbone and digging her fingernails into his stomach.

"Good," he replied, pulling her shirt up enough so he could cup one of her breasts. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take..."

"Uh-huh," she agreed, far too distracted to pay attention to what he was actually saying. For a moment she struggled with pulling his shirt off while she was lying on him, still too intoxicated to figure out why it wasn't working, and then gave up and lifted her head to kiss him again.

"That's not going to--Mmph!" he was cut off when he felt her lips pressed hard against his and he kissed her back. All the while he unclasped her bra so he could feel her up directly and moaned at how warm she felt. Poor boy had almost forgotten what they felt like too. How sad. His face flushing, he kissed her as hard as he possibly could and gave her bottom lip a gentle nip.

She whimpered against his lips and dragged her nails across his chest, forcing her tongue into his mouth as she arched against him. It had really been much too long since she'd last let him do this.

He gasped and met her tongue with his, letting her explore his mouth and her own with his. It felt so good and so warm.... The feel of her soft breasts in his hands as he groped them filled him with so much desire. Moaning into her mouth, he rolled her nipples under his thumbs and arched his hips up. If karma really was in his favor then this better not be all he was going to get or it'd drive the poor boy insane...

She made a sort of desperate noise and pressed herself against his hands, grinding her hips against his. "Zuko," she gasped, tearing her lips away. "Want you..."

"Mmmm..." he groaned, nibbling down her neck as he sat up a bit more. "Shall we take this to the bedroom?"

"Uh-huh," she agreed, through a fog of alcohol and lust.

Gently Zuko helped her get to her feet, letting her brace herself against him. When she was upright he picked her up in his arms, bridal style, and carried her to the bedroom. Murmuring softly, he kissed her as he fumbled with the door to get it to open and once it did he stepped towards the bed and laid her on it. "Much better...." he whispered with a smile as he closed the door.

"Ngh... Zuko..." she whined, reaching an arm out for him.

"I'm coming..." Smirking, he pulled his shirt up and over his head then tossed it aside. Panther-like he crawled up along her body as she lay beneath him, and kissed her roughly on the mouth. Meanwhile, he fumbled with the fastenings on her pants, trying to get them undone.

Ginny, basically insensate, concentrated on kissing him back, not seeming to notice his trouble with her pants. Her hands clenched and unclenched against his chest as soft whimpering noises escaped her throat.

Straddling her on his knees, his hips pressed up against hers, he then chose to forego getting her pants off at the moment in favor of removing her shirt instead. Without buttons, zippers, and other such fastenings this proved to be fairly simple. Once the certain garments in between he and her bare torso were discarded he leaned down to trail kisses and licks along her collar and shoulder, down to her chest. Upon reaching this certain area he took her nipples in his mouth and sucked on it while his other hand masssaged her other breast.

She moaned and started tugging at his pants. "Zuko... now..." she managed.

"But I'm having so much fun...." he whispered, managing to unbotton her pants and get them down far enough where most of her lower body was exposed. With one hand he stroked her inner thigh while he kissed up along her neck and jawline.

She whimpered again. "Please," she said, not even bothering to hide the begging tone in her voice.

"Well if you're going to beg...." How badly he wanted her could be heard just by his voice alone. "Then I won't deny you any longer of what you want...." As quickly as he possibly could he clumsily slipped out of his pants and undergarments. Groaning softly he captured her lips in a rough kiss as he entered her, one of his hands gripped onto her so tightly it could've left a bruise.

She snarled and forced her tongue into his mouth again, kissing him greedily and throwing a leg up over his hips and pulling him down harder.

A moan escaped his lips as he kissed her with just as much vigor before nipping slightly hard at her lower lip. All coherent thought lost, all he could think about doing was giving her as much pleasure as possible, no matter how hard he'd have to do her. It felt so good... All he wanted was her. Just like this... All his. His and no one else's.

Ginny snarled again and bit him back, raking her nails down his chest. "Mine," she said in a harsh voice, breaking the kiss, breathing heavily. "Mine," she said again, and dipped her head to nip at his collarbone.

"Mmm yes...." he groaned as he continued to go about his business. Shuddering, he let out a gasp when he felt her teeth against his rather sensitive skin.

Feeling him shiver against her, she continued to nip along his collarbone up to his jaw, at which point she twisted a hand into his hair and yanked his head to the side to kiss him again. "Mine," she growled one last time before her lips touched his.

Even more kissing because that seems to be the only thing people do while getting ther minds fucked out of their heads, I 'unno I didn't write the book. Anyhoos, this is to cover up the fact that the person writing this is far from male and actually has no idea how it feels to have any bit of the male anatomy. So by default it should feel good because that is what everyone wants to hear. Who'd want to read about bad sex? Maybe if you're a masochist or just looking for a good laugh. Well, no laughter for you! Sex is serious business! Pay close attention, children, this is how babies are made. Unless of course you're not ready for parenthood, then you just do invisible cockblocking to keep the baby from actually being made while still going about the baby-making process. Of course, the only true way to prevent a baby is actual cockblocking itself. Like, for someone annoying to be there who you obviously would not want to have there while you're doing your thing. That would just utterly suck and one may want to punch a bitch. Sex is a beautiful thing not to be interrupted! Of course, we're fortunate and there is no creepy fucker there to cockblock them so the sex was very very good. THE END.


	5. Chapter 4

Ginny Apparated into her flat, tanned and windblown and looking considerably happier than she had in several weeks. "...Zuko?" she asked, glancing around.

"Over here," Zuko called out softly. He was laying back spread across the cough, laptop set on his lap. Poor boy looked almost as bad as the last time he had gone off on her and he was just as exhausted and annoyed.

Ginny dropped her bag and strode into the living room. She stared at him for a moment before reaching down to haul him upright. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she said in a low voice, and lifted her arm to slap him as hard as she could before leaning forward and kissing him forcefully.

Terrified, he just hung there. His eyes were wide in shock and he whimpered softly into the kiss, clutching onto her shirt with one hand.

After a moment she leaned back again and looked at him, blinking hard to stop herself crying. "Zuko, I swear," she said softly.

"I'm sorry," he replied and pulled her in to hug her tightly.

She scrambled up into his lap and clung to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "You should be," she muttered.

"Very sorry..." His voice was a low whisper and trembled with worry. All he could think of doing was to hold her and whisper "I'm sorry.... I love you..." over and over again in her ear.

In response, she dug her fingers into his shirt, pressing her lips against the side of his neck. "Gods, Zuko," she whispered. "You can't keep doing this to me, I can't handle it."

"I didn't want to hurt you...." He looked about ready to start crying. Lightly he trailed his fingers up and down her back, desperately wanting to not ever have to let go of her again.

"I know you didn't," she replied, moving to wrap her arms around him more tightly. "But you did, Zuko."

"...I did?" he whimpered, lowering his gaze even more.

"Yeah, you did," she said. "You said all that about not breaking promises, and then went and did just that. I know you might not've realised you were doing it, but... gods, Zuko..." She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her fingers into his back, still trying to pull herself closer to him.

"I didn't want it to be that way..." he told her. "He presented me with something and I just had to try...but now I know I'm worthless so it doesn't matter anymore." Sighing, Zuko brought his hand up to tug at her shirt collar as he trailed soft kisses down her neck and collar.

"You are not worthless," Ginny said sharply, sitting up to look him in the eye. "Zuko, are you listening to me? You are not worthless. How many times do I have to tell you that before you'll believe me?"

"When I see the proof for myself," he replied, looking away from her. "I'm not good at anything... Sometimes I wonder why I was even born. Which is why...." his breath hitched in his throat a little. "I had to try."

"What kind of proof do you need?" she asked him, putting a hand out to cup his cheek. "Zuko, I thought we'd gotten past this."

"It's just difficult to accept," he sighed in defeat. "I'm a failure with no hope of redemption.... You're the only thing I'm sure about...." He then leaned in to kiss her on the cheek and moved up to her ear as well.

"That's not true," she disagreed. "You aren't a failure. I believe in you, doesn't that count for anything?"

Zuko nodded, "I suppose it does." With a smile, he leaned back and pulled her onto his lap even more. He then trailed soft kisses from her ear down her neck and then gave it a gentle bite.

She shivered as his teeth grazed against her skin. "Zuko, I mean it," she insisted. "You've got to stop putting yourself down like that, it's not true."

"Name one important thing I'm actually good at," he replied with a frown, pulling away to look at her. "I've got nothing. Might as well give up trying."

"You... listen to people," she said after a moment. "You've been trying your damndest to help Aang train, even though I know that's difficult for you. I know this relationship hasn't exactly been the easiest thing in the world for you, either, but you're still trying. You're determined, and you're a kindhearted person even if you don't like to show it." She smiled and pressed a kiss to the frown lines on his forehead. "You love me."

"I'll love you forever," he whispered as he kissed her softly on the lips. "And I'm sorry for worrying you...." A pause and he then smiled, ghosting his hands down her arms and sides. "So... Did you have a good time?"

"I suppose," she said, turning to rest her head against his shoulder. "I learned how to surf."

"Sounds like fun," Zuko nodded. "I like it when you're happy."

"I'm happier when you're here," she replied.

"I know there are other pe--things that make you happy as well..." he looked away.

"Well, yes," she admitted. "But you... knowing you love me... that's the reason I can be happy about everything else."

He gripped onto her and pulled her against him for a tight hug. "I hope that's true...because I love you more than anything. With you..." Biting his lip, he leaned back to peer into her eyes. "...I'm home."

"Oh, Zuko," she whispered, reaching a hand up to brush over his nose, cheeks, lips. "You... are extraordinary."

"You flatter me," he frowned, but before she could say anything he captured her lips in a rough, passionate kiss.

She twisted her fingers into his hair and arched her body against him, kissing him back with equal force. "Gods I missed you," she gasped when she finally leaned back to catch her breath.

"Mmm.....Missed you more...." he whispered softly and pressed his lips lightly gainst her neck. Nothing could ever compare to how much he truly missed her when they were apart.

She sighed happily and curled up against him, sliding her hands down to lay against his chest. "You scared me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You know I am."

"I know you are," she agreed. "But Sorry doesn't mean I wasn't scared."

"What should I do about it then?" he asked her, a hint of worry in his voice. "I hurt you.... Fair exchange.... Would be for you to do the same to me...."

"Oh, no, Zuko, I couldn't do that," she protested immediately. "Besides, I already hit you."

"Didn't hurt," he shook his head, giving her a very small smile. "...I can take it."

"Still. First I'd have to want to hurt you."

"You don't?" Zuko blinked with surprise. When people were mad usually they wanted to maim things... This was new.

She looked up at him, shocked. "No! Zuko..."

"Aren't you...mad?" he gave her a puzzled look.

"Of course I am, I'm bloody furious. Doesn't mean I want to hurt you, though, Zuko, I love you," she responded, equally baffled.

"Now I'm just confused...." Poor boy hung his head in defeat.

"...Why?" Ginny asked, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes so she could see him.

"You're mad....but you don't want to hurt me?" he sounded as if she had said the most absurd thing on the planet. "Doesn't make much sense..."

"...Yes, I'm angry," she said after a moment. "I probably will be angry for quite some time. But first and foremost, I love you, and that is far more important." She gave him a small smile.

Now he was just terribly confused and frustrated with himself and angry in general at how fate always liked to mess with him. Slowly he wrapped his fingers around her hand and brought it up to touch the mark on his neck Orochimaru had given him. He sighed softly and brushed his lips against hers. "I gave it up...for you."

"...I'm not sure I completely understand," she confessed after a minute, tracing the mark with the tip of one finger.

"I had to go there...." Zuko took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he tried to explain. "Because Orochimaru wasn't sure what was going to happen and he wanted to keep an eye on me in case things went horribly wrong. According to him, if I had come from his world I would've just died. That's why he was so shocked that I was able to function normally. He then spent a couple of days researching and found it had different chakra affects. Instead of spreading around my entire body it harbored itself in only one chakra point. Once he got a basic idea of what to do was when he begun teaching me.... He then found out that in order to be able to fully control it for my own personal gain I'd have to release all the chakra points and all forms of attachment... I couldn't do it. Sure, I may regret it later when it decides to trigger itself but I just couldn't... To be able to master it I'd have to let go of you....and possibly kill you." Tears welled up in his eyes and he had to fight hard not to let them fall. He gripped onto her tightly as he spoke. "I couldn't do that...because I love you..."

There was a long silence as she tried to absorb what he was telling her. It was still hard to believe, sometimes, that someone cared that deeply about her. "I love you too," she finally whispered, flicking her eyes up to meet his, her fingers still brushing along the curse mark on his neck. "But gods, Zuko, why? Is this about your sister again?"

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "...Yes." A deep breath and then a long sigh. "...But I've given up now. No more... I know when I'm outmatched. I'll just live my life in shame and dishonor like I should."

"Zuko, no," she said, dismayed. "You can't do that."

"I'd do it for you...I'd give up everything to have you," he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Well -- maybe, but -- that doesn't mean you should," she protested. "They need you, Zuko, you can't condemn your entire world to your father just for me."

"But that'd mean I might have to go off again...and again... I don't want to hurt you," his voice was shaky. "I just want to keep you happy."

"So then let me come with you," she insisted. "Let me help you, Zuko, I know you want to protect me but I can help you if you let me... and I can't let you abandon your entire world just for my sake."

"I don't want you to get hurt..." he gazed at her, his lip trembling. "It'd kill me...I don't want you to die...."

"I'm not going to die, Zuko," she said firmly. "I've not lived through a war for nothing, I know how to protect myself and I can learn more! You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you...and if you want I guess I can teach you what I know..." he sighed. "Not sure if it'll help but it's worth a shot, right?"

"Well, it can't hurt." She smiled reassuringly (she hoped) and smoothed a thumb over the mark on his neck. "And I want to help you, Zuko, you could be an incredible ruler, I can see it in you, you know. I want to help you get there."

"I hope you're right," he smiled back at her and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Of course I'm right," she replied, kissing him back. "When am I not right?"

"Hmm..." he pondered for a moment. "Can't think of anything."

"Good." She giggled softly and leaned forward to brush her lips lightly against his.

Smiling, he gently ran his hands down her sides and rested them on her hips. "...Feel better?"

"Mm-hmm." She smiled back at him and ran her thumb along the edge of his jaw. "I love you."

"So I uh...." Zuko grinned sheepishly at her, looking away for a moment. "Kinda found somethin' in your room the other day. Mind explaining it?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Explain what?"

"Found a plushie of some sort," he continued. "About this big this wide looks like a certain someone...." His brow furrowed and he couldn't help but frown as he showed exactly how big with his hands.

Ginny thought about this for a moment, and then started giggling. "My Light plushie? Well it's not like it was hidden, you know, love."

He made a very unhappy sort of face. "That's many levels of creepy."

"Oh it is not either, you madman. It was a gift from Light."

"It is too! I don't even want to know what you do with it..." he shuddered.

Ginny gave him a Look. "It's a plushie, Zuko."

His eye twitched, "A CREEPY plushie. A creepy soul-stealing plushie...."

"Oh, it isn't either, it's cute," she disagreed. "Stop being all jealous, it doesn't suit you."

"I'm not jealous," he pouted, defiantly crossing his arms. "Just keep it away from me because it looks like it wants to latch itself onto my face and suck out my soul."

She tugged his arms apart and laced her fingers through his, forcing his arms around her instead. "It's not going to eat your soul. You're being ridiculous." She punctuated her statement by dropping a kiss on the bridge of his nose.

"I'm always ridiculous...apparently," Zuko said and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before glancing down at where she placed his arms and raised a brow at her. "I'm either terribly repressed or if I'm not mistaken I think you're trying to seduce me, missy."

She smirked at him. "What gave it away?"

"Thought you said you were mad," he chuckled and kissed down her neck.

"Oh, I am," she said. "But I did miss you an awful lot."

"Where's the punishment in this, then?" he asked, nuzzling against the crook of her neck. "Got a knife hidden?"

"Mmm... no." She smirked again, toying with one of the fastenings on his shirt.

"I'm afraid now...." Zuko glanced her up and down suspiciously. "What're you hiding?"

Ginny put on her best innocent face. "Nothing. I thought you trusted me, love." Her expression shifted to wounded.

"No guns..." he patted her butt then trailed his hands along her hips and sides. "No knives...No bombs..." Smirking, he then grabbed her chest briefly. "Okay, I guess I'm safe."

In response she made a hmph sound and poked her tongue out at him.

"I'll bite that off if you stick it out again," he frowned, trying to look threatening but failing miserably.

"Ha," she replied, clearly not believing him.

"I will," he nipped at her neck to prove his point.

"You aren't fooling me," she disagreed.

"But I'm being entirely serious." Clearly he wasn't.

"No you aren't."

"Okay you win," he grinned at her. "Pick your prize."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun," she said in a low voice, tipping her head down so her lips hovered above his. "What are my choices?"

"Um..." He really hadn't given this much thought so he just shrugged at her. "Like...my shirt?"

She chuckled and dropped her head to brush her lips teasingly across his. "And what would I do with that, hm?"

"Whatever?" he suggested, brushing his lips against hers in return.

"Mmmm..." a wicked grin spread across her face. "All right, then." She slid her hands down his chest and whipped his shirt off before he had a chance to react. "Mine now."

"Mmmm....Wha...." he murmured softly, peering up at her. "Oh...Okay..."

"Oh, dear. Did I render you incoherent again?" The grin widened slightly.

"I-I'm...coherent..." Zuko muttered, glancing away for a moment. Wasn't quite expecting that.

"Oh, yes, terribly," she said in a mock-serious tone, trailing her fingers across his collarbone.

"Hn...What are you doing....?" He asked softly, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Oh, nothing in particular," she said, tracing a finger down the side of his arm.

Licking his lips, he peered up at her expectantly. "...I can't have any... Can I?"

"Any what, love?" she asked coyly, dropping her other hand to rest against his stomach.

"You know...." he blushed, glancing down.

"Again with this thing about not using your words," she murmured, unfolding her legs so she could press herself flush against his chest.

"Actions speak louder," he replied, thrusting his hips up. Frowning, he kissed lightly along her jaw up to her ear. "You're terrible..."

She giggled at him and shook her hair over her shoulder. "So mean."

"Cruel and heartless," he whispered as he clawed at her back a bit.

"Mmm. Careful of the shirt, love, I like it."

"Then take it off..." He pressed his lips against her neck.

"Oh, but that's so much work," she protested.

Zuko tugged on her shirt. "Want me to take it off for you?"

"You can if you like," she allowed, tracing the muscles of his chest with a finger.

"Mmm... Alright..." Smirking, he quickly pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside then let his lips trail hot kisses along her shoulder and collarbone.

Ginny grinned to herself and slid her hands up his chest to twist them in his hair, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

He let his hands start to roam, groping and grabbing whatever they happened to come across. All the while he bit her neck and sucked on it hard enough to leave a mark. "You're fickle sometimes."

"How cruel, Zuko," she gasped, enjoying his attention despite the fact that she had made herself promise she wouldn't.

"Mmm...." he kissed down her chest, leaning her back a little so he could go lower. After a moment he noticed something and paused. "...What's that?"

"What's what?" she asked, blinking at him.

"That," he pointed. "On your hip."

"...That would be a tattoo, love," she said after a moment, amused.

"It's cool...." He whispered, a hint of awe in his voice. "Can I touch it?"

She resisted the temptation to snort. "Yeah."

Zuko lightly placed his fingers on her hip, only to jump a little when he saw the picture move a bit. "The hell...?"

Ginny jumped a bit herself, startled. "What?"

"It moves," he blinked, shivering a little.

"Oh. Yes. Wizarding tattoos do that," she said.

"That's freaky yet awesome at the same time." Smirking, he touched it again, amused by the way it twitched.

"It'll keep doing that, you know," she said, amused.

"Any others I don't know about?" He asked, kind of amused, as he licked her stomach.

"N--ooo," she said, starting slightly.

"I want more," he pleaded, hooking his fingers under the waistband of her pants.

"Oh, dear. Greedy tonight, aren't we," she said teasingly.

"Perhaps I am," he then proceeded to tug a bit. "I've missed you a great deal, you know."

"I missed you," she breathed, giving in to the temptation to lift his head up to kiss him.

"So... Can I have more...please?" He kissed her back softly.

Ginny wavered. She badly wanted to let him keep going, but she also knew that making him stop would teach him a lesson. "Mmmm... I don't know," she ended up saying, not wanting to get up and walk away just yet.

"Want to...so bad..." he begged, tugging at the fabric with his teeth.

"I know, love," she said. "...But--" she tugged his head back up to kiss him again. "For tonight that's going to be all you get. Sorry, love," she said, giving him a genuinely contrite look as she slid off his lap and stood up.

"But... But...." he whined, pouting and looking quite upset.

"Mmm, well." She leaned over and brushed one last kiss across his lips. "Perhaps next time you'll think twice before you go haring off without a plan." And with that she forced herself to turn and walk away, heading for the bedroom.

Whining, he slunk down so much he slipped off the couch and landed on the floor. "Ow."

"Goodnight," she called over her shoulder at him.

"Night," he replied, muffled by the floor. Terrible punishment? Yes indeed. Floor comfortable? No but it will have to do.


	6. Chapter 5

Ginny pushed her laptop aside and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and peering down at Zuko. "You know, if we're going to go anywhere tonight we'd better get ready."

"I know," he looked up at her, snapping shut his laptop. "I don't really have what to wear though..."

"Oh don't worry, I've got something for you," she replied airily, standing up and stepping over him as she walked toward her closet.

"Something for me?" He blinked a few times and got to his knees, resting his chin on the bed. "You didn't have to...."

She made a dismissive gesture as she pulled open the accordion door and disappeared into her (magically enlarged into a walk-in) closet.

"..." Smirking, Zuko shook his head as he pulled himself up onto the bed. Laying there on his stomach he watched her curiously.

She emerged several minutes later with an armload of clothing. "There -- dress pants, shirt, tie, robe," she said, dropping each item onto the bed next to him as she spoke.

"Um..." he picked up one of the robe's sleeves and quirked a brow at her. "That's...uh...."

"It's a dress robe, love," she said, deadpan. "Wear it."

"Uh..." he continued to stare at her as if she was a spazzing insane person sprouting turnips in her hair. "...No?"

She dropped the bundle of silvery fabric still in her arms onto the bed and folded her arms, glaring at him, not saying anything.

"..." he continued to stare at her. "...Why?"

"Because we're going to a wizarding restaurant, which is a very nice place, and you can't wear what you have on." She looked at the robe. "What's wrong with it? It's lovely."

"Um..." after taking a glance at it he crawled across the bed and picked himself up so he give her a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry, babe. It's just...Not what I'm used to...?"

"I know, love." She smiled at him. "But really, at least try it on, all right? I promise you, it'll look wonderful on you." And with that she swept up the silvery thing she'd dumped on the bed and vanished into the bathroom.

"Alright you..." he stared intently at the clothing. "How do you go on..." It took him a short while of fiddling but he managed to get the pants, shirt, and robe on without much trouble. The tie...was a different story.

As he stood staring at the tie, Ginny strode out of the bathroom wearing a silver, floor-length gown with a fitted bodice and a massive sweeping skirt. "Oh, see, that looks wonderful on you," she said, smoothing the robe over his shoulders.

"Uh huh," Zuko wasn't quite paying attention seeing as how to him, at the moment, the tie was the most evil thing he had ever encountered.

Ginny snorted and whipped it out of his hands, slinging one end around his neck and knotting it properly before he had a chance to react. "There," she said, stepping back to look at him.

"Hey...." he whined indignantly. "I was getting the hang of it!"

"...Sure you were." She gave him an ironic look and went past him back into the closet to look for a pair of shoes.

He frowned at her. "I was!"

Ginny chose to ignore his protestations and came back out of the closet a moment later, having added a pair of tall heels to her ensemble. "Hey, look -- I'm almost as tall as you now," she said as she passed him, grinning.

"You cheat with shoes," Zuko replied, smirking back at her as he gently grabbed by the wrist and twirled her around so he could have a better look.

She giggled at him as he spun her. "So?"

"So what?" he grinned and then leaned in to press his lips lightly against her neck. "You look pretty..."

She smiled at him, enjoying being able to look directly into his eyes. "Thank you."

"Mmm... Love you," he whispered as he kissed down her neck. As he did so he ran his hands along her curves, enjoying what her ensemble did with them.

"Love you too," she replied. "Zuko, if you don't stop we'll never get out of here."

"Stop what?" he asked, totally not stopping either.

"That-- Zuko..." She reluctantly squirmed away from him. "I've got to do my hair and you need to find your shoes, we can play later."

"Fine," Zuko pouted and then went off to hunt for his shoes. "I'm totally holding you to that 'later' bit."

"Oh good," she replied, and snagged her wand off the nightstand on her way back into the bathroom.

Finally, he found said shoes next to his neat little pile of belongings in a corner and slipped them on. After doing so he leaned against the wall next to the bathroom door. "You're beautiful enough without all that extra work you know."

She glanced up at him in the mirror, smiling. "That's sweet."

"It's true," he replied with a smirk.

She put her hairbrush down and looked at him for a moment. "You're amazing," she said finally.

"I am?" he blinked a few times, looking a bit confused.

"Yes. Stop undervaluing yourself, love." She looked seriously at him.

Zuko stared at her blankly for a moment. "I'm not... I just don't get what sparked you to say something like that.... It's not like I did anything."

Ginny shrugged. "Nothing. You didn't have to." She turned and wrapped her arms loosely around him, resting her cheek against his chest. "It's the way you look at me."

"Hm...Must make a mental note to look at her more often," he said as a mental note to himself, holding onto her. Smiling, he peered down at her. "You're being quite the romantic tonight, babe."

"Mmm. I know." She smiled slightly. "Did you realise it's been more than two months?"

"More than two months since what?" he blinked a few times again, with a bit of confusion. All the while he rested his chin on top of her head.

"Since, y'know. Us." She lifted her head to look up at him.

"Oh....right," he smiled and kissed her softly.

She kissed him back, still smiling. "We really do have to leave..." she said when she leaned back a moment later.

"Yeah," Zuko nodded as he backed away. "Where are we going, exactly?" he asked, looking towards the door.

"I know a place. It's good," she said, looking around for her handbag. "Off of Diagon Alley..."

"Diagon Alley?" Again, more confusion. "Not sure if I've been down that way before..."

She blinked at him, surprised, and paused in her handbag hunt. "I haven't taken you to Diagon Alley? I've been remiss in my girlfriend duties. You'll love it I promise." She beamed at him as she finally located the little silver purse she'd been looking for.

"If you say so..." He shrugged, standing there waiting for her to finish getting ready.

"Ready to go, love?" she asked, resisting the temptation to swish her skirts as she crossed the room to him.

Smirking, when she neared him he put his arm around her waist to draw her in closer to him. "Whenever you are."

"All right. We're going the long way 'round so I can show off." She grinned at him and Disapparated them, reappearing in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron.

When the apparated he stumbled a bit, bracing himself against her. "The hell? That was... That was...." He frowned, shuddering. "No more..."

She cast him an amused look. "That was Apparition, love, that's how we get around, you know that." She pulled her wand out of a fold in her dress and started tapping bricks.

"It's terrifying..." his tone of voice had a slight whine to it as he clung onto her, obviously leery of everything around him.

"Zuko, honestly," she said in an exasperated tone, and tucked her wand back into her skirt and stepped back as the wall started unfolding in front of her.

"Aaah!" Zuko shrieked like a frightened little schoolgirl and scurried behind her, peering at the unfolding wall in front of him. "Walls... Should not do that.... Evil wall..." He hissed, looking at said wall once it finished as if it were some sort of demon.

"Oh, good gods, Zuko. It's a magic wall, it can do whatever it bloody well pleases." She reached back and dragged him out from behind her. "Look around, love. We're in Diagon Alley."

He studied the scene in front of him for a short while. The throngs of people scurrying about, things magically disappearing and reappering, inanimate objects doing things on their own without any assistance, weird things flying around, owls and weird unrecognizable animals following people around, not to mention the appearances of some of these people.... Needless to say, Zuko was very much weirded out. Swiftly he turned on his heel and walked off in the opposite direction from where they were suppossed to be going. "Okay, I think I've seen enough! We can go back now...."

Ginny reached out and caught his elbow before he could get very far. "No, love. We are going to dinner. You are being ridiculous. If you can handle me being magical, you can handle this, too."

"But--but--but...." he stammered, wibbling at her. For someone who set villages on fire and witnessed the death of thousands of innocent people, on top of being one who had seen the doing of actual spirits.... He was acting more pathetic than what would be expected.

She sighed and turned to face him, looking a bit hurt. "Zuko. This is my world, you know... Are you going to be able to deal with that, or not?"

"...Yes," he cowered, gripping nervously onto her arm. "I'm sorry... It's just...'little more than I'm used to."

She sighed. "I know it is. Just... try, all right?"

"I will," he nodded as he took her hand and started hesitantly walking forward. Poor boy was perplexed by everything around him, not to say he wans't fascinated too since he was, but he wasn't used to seeing so many strange things all lumped in one place. That one man sitting on a bench feeding birds was wearing plaid with wide horizontal stripes for Pete's sake! No one in their right mind would wear that in public! And that other lady, with the really big nose covered in warts was wearing socks with flipflops. Not fabulous at all! Disturbed, Zuko's grip on her tightened.

Ginny smiled encouragingly up at him and lifted his hand to place a soft kiss on the back of it. "Hey. Relax. No one's going to jump on you or anything, love."

"But...but...." he whimpered. "Plaid and stripes.... It's scary!"

There was a brief silence. "Zuko, are you sure you're not really gay? Because, honestly, being afraid of people's fashion choices..."

"But it's terrifying!" Zuko whimpered some more, looking weirded out. "You'd think people who could poof themselves anywhere they wanted, and make cars drive themselves, would be able to have better taste in what they poof themselves in...." He then bristled at the "gay" remark. "You know I'm bi not gay...If I were gay you'd think I'd be so eager to be all over you?" With that he gave her a sly grin.

She laughed. "I'm kidding, love, honestly. Anyway, look, here--" She led them around a corner and down a side street. "See, look, not near so many peculiar things going on here." The street was lined with small boutiques, most of which had closed for the evening, and upscale restaurants.

"Better..." he nodded, letting his hand slip away from hers to slink around and rest against her backside. "Much better."

She spluttered and giggled at him, but didn't swat his arm away. "Be good. Look, here we are."

"I will..." Zuko rolled his eyes for moment before blinking with surprise at the fact the restaurant itself seemed to be fairly normal. Instinctively he got the door and held it open for her so she could enter first.

She beamed at him as she swept through the door. "Thanks, love."

"My pleasure," he replied and then followed her inside, closing the door behind him. Almost as if he thought he had something to prove he wrapped an arm arm around her waist loosely, trying his hardest to show 'Yes, this loser is with her.'

She leaned against him slightly as she murmured something to the maitre d', who nodded and hurried off. "It'll only be a moment," she said.

"Happy?" he asked her with a smile.

"Yes." She smiled back at him. "Are you?"

"Quite," Zuko replied and when the waiter--and yes there was a very fancy waiter because this was totally not Olive Garden or Pizza Hut...Wait Olive Garden has waiters nevermind-- came to them with menus he followed them to their table, taking Ginny by the hand. Just like any other fluffy romantic date the table was by a window with the perfect view of the city at night, and there was candlelight and napkins folded in the shape of swans because swan-napkins are fancy and romantic and awesome. Oh and there was more silverware than sugar packets in the sugar-packet-box. Fancy stuff indeed.

Ginny smiled and thanked the waiter as she sat; he hurried off to do... something useful and she grinned across the table at Zuko. "See, this isn't all that strange," she said.

"Ginny..." Zuko said softly, glancing at the menu. "The text keeps changing on this thing... What the fuck... Heeeeey.... The soup of the day was just cream of broccoli and now it's minestrone. Stupid thing."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It'll do that. You've seen wizarding photos, they move, it really surprises you the menu does?"

"But things also change...like now," he noticed the wine list changed yet again. "That's not cool."

"It'll go back eventually. Just keep watching it," she said, looking back down at her own menu.

"Um.....Think I'll just eat a salad or something," he said nervously, setting his menu down to the side, glaring at it like it was evil. With one eye twitching, he watched as an old fat warty couple of women sat down not too far from them and proceeded to hex the living daylights out of one of the more attractive waiters. He then noticed several people staring at his scar with raised brows, even though some of them really shouldn't be staring seeing as how they were UGLY AS ALL HELL EW, and he swiftly brushed his bangs over said eye.

Ginny, seeing him fidgeting, glanced up at him. "All right, love?"

"I'm fine," he shrugged, sighing as he decided to look at her instead. She really did look incredible, especially in the dim light of the candle.... If he didn't have so much self control he probably would've just jumped her right then and there. However, he didn't, because he knew better, and instead just chose to gaze at her and smile lovingly.

She smiled back at him. "You sure? You still look a bit nervous."

"Sorry...." he glanced around, looking to see if the waiter was coming back. "I'm just not really used to going out like this." A sigh as he glanced at the small flame flickering atop the candle. Who would've thought fire, what he'd known to be a weapon and cause of death and tragedy, could also be symbolic of romance.

She looked back up at him for a moment, then reached across the table and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "I know you aren't. Thank you for coming with me anyway."

"Anything for you..." Zuko whispered, looking at her intimately. Suddenly something rather hard and heavy clocked him in the side of the head. Blinking furiously, and rubbing his injured cranium he saw a rather nifty bottle of wine hover in midair for a couple of seconds before settling down on the table. Shortly after, two glasses followed and the bottle uncorked itself with a loud pop. Startled, and slightly weirded out, Zuko eyed the thing like it was going to eat him as it poured an equal amount of its contents into each glass. "I don't like you...." he growled at said bottle, who, apparently offended although it was an inanimate object, shook enough wine to splatter him in the face and then it stilled on the table as if it had done nothing at all. "....Ginny." Whine.

She was unable to resist the temptation to giggle slightly at him, letting go of his hand to grab the wine bottle. "Stop that," she told it firmly. Actually, she thought, it was sort of cute that he was nervous, in an odd way.

"Oh sure it listens to you..." he continued to glare at it, his own glass of wine nudging the hand he rested on the table. Feeling as though he accomplished something by have a stare-down with a bottle, he took the glass and drank some of it. "So....Does magic involve mind reading or...." His menu changed again, showing exactly what he wanted on it before sliding off and zooming towards the kitchen. "Okay I think after tonight I want to stay away from this crazy sort of magic for a very very long time.... No offense," he added in case that might've hurt her feelings somewhat.

"S'all right," she said, taking her own wine glass as her menu followed his. "We can find other places to go, I'm sure." She had kind of hoped he'd enjoy all the quirks of a magical restaurant, but she wasn't going to let it bother her.

"I don't like the fear of the fact some of this things could potentially kill me...." Again he eyed the wine bottle for he felt it was mocking him even though it remained perfectly still.

"Zuko, don't be ridiculous, nothing is going to kill you," she said, sipping at her wine.

He continued glowering at the bottle before sighing in defeat. "Fine..." Though he would not let his guard down completely. For he was certain one of the forks at the neighboring tables was just waiting to stab him in the head.

She cast him an amused look and pressed a kiss to her fingertips, then leaned over and touched them to his cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too," he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "So...um....do you normally go out like this? With other guys... I mean...."

She gave him an ironic look. "Are you kidding? I told you, love, the last serious relationship I was in was Harry, and that was while we were both at Hogwarts." And this was true, too, she thought; none of the guys she'd been with in the last few years had actually tried to romance her.

"Oh....right," he nodded and went quiet for a moment. "So...has it ever bothered you that no one's ever wanted to...like... I don't know...take you places like this and whatnot?"

She shrugged. "A bit, I suppose. Every girl likes to be romanced." She traced her fingertip around the rim of her glass. "And I'm a hopeless romantic, as well."

"Well...." he smirked at her. "I'd be more than happy to 'romance' you if it'll get you to give me that beautiful smile I love so much."

She put her wineglass down and beamed at him. "Aww, Zuko."

Smiling, although still a bit nervous, he continued. "I've just been raised to show appreciation for women. Chivalry and whatnot. Even though I'm not really good at it, it still makes more sense to just do nice and romantic, loving things for another person rather than just.....you know...physical stuff. Not that I mind, really, but still...." The look that flickered in his eyes made it appear he had fallen in love with her all over again. "This is nice. I like it."

She desperately wanted to get out of her chair and kiss him, but made herself resist the temptation. "You're wonderful," she settled for saying. "How did I ever manage to get so lucky?"

"You overestimate me, really," he blushed, choosing that moment to tug his small shoulder-length ponytail over his shoulder and run his fingers though it nervously, just so he'd have something to do with his hands. "I'm not that great...."

"Yes, you are. Why do you think you aren't, because your psychobitch of a sister said so?" Ginny shook her head. "She doesn't know you, not like I do."

"It's not just that..." he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not.... I got no experience or anything.... Barely ever talked to girls. I'm an idiot. You could do so much better than...." mumbling, his voice trailed off as he cast his gaze downwards.

"Sweetheart..." dismayed, she reached across the table and took his hand again, squeezing it. "D'you think any of that really matters to me? You love me, that's all I care about. And as for 'doing better than you'--" she scoffed. "Maybe I could. But so what? You are the one I'm in love with." Her expression softened. "Zuko, look at me."

As Zuko peered up at her he fell silent, his face flushed pink and his heart fluttering. Throwing caution to the wind he got up slightly and propped himself up on the table with the hand she held while with the other he cupped her face and then slid it around slightly to pull her in for a deep kiss.

Ginny flushed a bit herself and kissed him back, gripping the hand he held more tightly. "Public place, love," she murmured when she broke the kiss a few moments later.

"I know, I know," Zuko sighed, slumping in his seat. "It's just...um.... I'm not really used to the whole 'date' thing and I really have no clue what on earth I'm supposed to do..." Pouting, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. Now people really were staring. What? Had they not ever seen two people on a date before? Fucking voyeurs.

"Hey," she said as he pulled his hand out of hers. "Don't sulk, love." She smiled gently at him, taking some of the harshness out of her words.

"I've never had anyone like this...ever... No one who has ever been there like this.... Someone to return to.... A person I can put so much trust in because I know they'll be loyal to me...." He gave her a small smile. "It means a lot."

Her smile wobbled a bit as she looked at him, resisting the impulse to cry. "You're such a sweetheart," she whispered. It blew her away, sometimes, how much he loved her.

"You're the only person I ever really loved like this.... Every other time I've ever gotten close to someone... It's always ended up in betrayal," he sighed, his voice wavering slightly. His eyes showed nothing but the love he felt for her.

"Zuko..." she said, reaching out for his hand again. "Oh, love. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Zuko shook his head and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "As long as I have you nothing else matters."

"I know it isn't," she said. "But I still feel awful that you had to go through..." she motioned with her free hand. "So much shite growing up. No-one should have to live like that."

"I'm paying the price for my crime," he said softly, still looking a bit sullen. Suddenly, with a sort of popping sound, the plates of food appeared on the table. Zuko glared at his and muttered, "Yeah you better not pop me in the head..."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him and instead picked up her fork and began fiddling with her pasta. "What crime?"

"Betraying my country," he replied flatly, choosing to glare at his fork instead. Yes, he still thought forks were the embodiement of all forms of evil.

"What, you mean by disagreeing with your father?" she said, voice going sharp. It seemed sort of ridiculous to her, how much he still clung to the royal family, especially after they'd all hurt him so badly. "It sounded to me as though the only thing you 'betrayed' -- if you must call it that -- was your father, and in muy opinion he deserved it, the bastard."

"I have to be loyal to my family.... It's all I have," he told her in a hushed tone, as if it really wasn't that big of a deal. All the while he picked up his fork and poked at his food. "You never told me... Why did you decide to live on your own? Your parents seem nice."

"You have me," she disagreed, refusing to let the subject drop. "...I can be your family," she added quietly, flicking her gaze down to her plate. It felt like sort of a... risky thing to say.

"You will be..." he told her, looking at her intently as he reached out to take her hand. "One day... Hopefully sooner rather than later."

She looked up at him and offered him a small smile. "I hope so."

"You never answered my question," he smirked. "What inspired you to live on your own?"

"No huge reason," she said. "Got tired of living at home. Mum's very... enthusiastic. I wanted some space. And then Sirius said he was moving in with Remus and wanted to get rid of his flat." She shrugged.

"Ah," he nodded. "And somehow you wound up fostering your friends there as well." Another smirk.

She grinned. "Yeah. I've a habit of taking in strays."

"Nyah~!" he beamed at her, making the cutest kitty noise he could.

Ginny blinked at him for a second, startled, and then burst into giggles. "Zuko! What on earth--"

"Trying to sound like a cat..." he shrugged with a smirk. "'cause I'm your little stray cat, ne?"

"I don't know what you are." She gave him a large grin. "You're definitely much too good in bed to be a little stray cat, though."

A blush. "N-no.... Erm... Uh....." Clearly embarrassed, he looked away.

She leaned back in her chair and laughed. "Oh, you are much too easy, my love," she said, amused. He was, too, it was really far too easy to make him blush.

"N-no.. I....." More blushing. "S-shut up.... Public place."

She smirked across the table at him, propping her chin up on the back of one hand. "Am I embarassing you?" she asked, pitching her voice low.

"M--no.... Kinda....." he shifted in his seat a bit. "I just... Wasn't expecting you to bring that up...."

"Really, you shouldn't be surprised anymore," she said dryly.

"It was random," he replied, recovering from the embarrassment. "'Oh by the way you're great in bed' what....?"

"But true," she pointed out, a smile still curving her lips.

"You flatter me," Zuko smirked, trying not to blush again. "But really, I'm sure you've had better anyway."

"Mmm. I don't make comparisons," she said.

"Psh...but if I was terrible you'd tell me...right?" A wry grin.

"Oh, you'd know. Believe me, you've nothing to worry about," she said, and took a sip of her wine, looking through her eyelashes at him over the rim of the glass.

At that he couldn't help but blush. "Mm... Thanks... I guess... You're good too...." He glanced down at his plate not really all that hungry but decided he was a little thirsty and took a small sip of his wine.

Ginny smirked some more to herself and twirled her fork in her pasta, surrpetitiously kicking off one of her heels and brushing her toes against his leg under the table.

He shivered a little when he felt her touch him and peered at her shyly. "You know... We never really talk about you at all. Which seems a bit rude on my part... It's not like you have anything to hide...right?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Why, what d'you wanna know?"

"Well... You're a witch. right? How long did you have to study for that?" he asked, looking a bit shifty, not knowing what one was to do at this point during a date.

"Well, you don't study to be a witch, exactly," she said. "Either you're born magical or you aren't. You go to school for seven years, though, from eleven to seventeen."

"And then...that's it?" he blinked.

"Well--" she gestured with her fork. "After that you can go to Auror academy, or study to be a Healer, or what have you, but none of that is required."

"Sounds a lot like...normal...erm...non-magical life," he nodded. "The way it's been described I always thought it was more... I don't know...whimsical?"

Ginny shook her head. "Not really. I mean, yeah, we take lessons in Potions and Charms, and 'cursebreaker' is a legitimate career choice, but there's nothing mystical about it. That," she added, "and I'm used to it. For me, that is normal."

"Guess I've got a bit more to learn... M'sorry..." he glanced away.

She blinked. "Sweetheart, don't apologise, what in the world are you sorry for?" She smiled at him and ran her foot along his leg again. "Really, love."

"I'd like to learn more about... What you do..." he gave her a small smile.

"Me?" She raised an eyebrow. "I'm a model, you know that, I don't do anything particularly interesting."

"I meant with your magic, silly," he chuckled. "Honestly, I have no idea about any of it at all or even how it really works."

"Oh, gods, you're asking the wrong person. All I know is this Latin word plus this wand movement makes this thing happen, I couldn't begin to tell you how or why." She poked at something on her plate that looked sort of like a tomato. "Fortunately that was not something they ever made us learn."

"Interesting...." Zuko nodded with a smile. "So it really is fairly simple for you, eh?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes, I suppose," she said. "Of course, memorising tables of Potions ingredients is not exactly a simple task." A pause. "Nor is it much fun."

"Doesn't sound fun," Zuko chuckled softly. "Did they make you do the basics over and over again too?"

"We weren't even allowed to pick our wands up in most classes until we knew exactly what we were going to do with them," she said with a nod.

"That's always many levels of frustrating," he said. "Have to do a lot of reading?"

"Loads. Happily, I like reading. Mostly." She poked at the remains of her dinner. "I'm done eating... you?"

"Yeah, me too," He nodded. "How does one pay..." As if his mind had been read a bill appeared on the table. "Oh."

She grinned. "Clever, isn't it."

"Very," he smirked as he took out the means to pay. Once he had done so it all vanished. "Shall we?" He had gotten up and gone over to her to take her hand.

She smiled and stood, lacing her fingers with his as they walked toward the door. "So, did you want to head back home, or wander around for a while?"

"Whatever you wish," he grinned as he held the door open for her. "Anything you want to do?"

She shrugged and smiled up at him. "Whatever you want. There's a park near here, as well..."

"We could go for a walk," he nodded as they walked down the street. "So...um... Hopefully I'm a not a erm...complete failure?"

"Don't be silly," she said softly, wrapping her arm around his and leaning against his shoulder as they walked. "You're not a failure at all."

"Glad you think so, my love," Zuko beamed as he held her close. "Your words mean a lot.

"Mmm." She looked up at him, offering him a contented smile. "I love you. Look, here's the park," she said suddenly.

"So it is," he nodded as they came across the entrance. "Hmm... It's nice..." He admired the trees and flowers with a look of fondness.

They wandered slowly through the park, emerging on the other side about an hour later barely two blocks from her flat. "This was a good date," she said, glancing up at him.

"Yeah?" He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm glad."

"Almost home," she told him.

He walked with her and when they reached her flat he stopped just outside the door. "I love you," Zuko whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you," she whispered back, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek.

"I'll never let you go," he said and brushed lips lightly against hers. "Ever."

She made a sound of agreement in response and tilted her head up to capture his lips with hers, kissing him softly.

He deepened the kiss as he fumbled with the lock, able to get the door open eventually. When the door opened he kissed her even still as they stumbled into the flat. After a moment he pulled back to catch his breath and closed the door. "...Now what?" A smirk.

"Mmm... I don't know." She smirked back at him, brushing her hands across his chest.

"I might have an idea...." he said softly as he took off his robe and hung it up. Smiling deviously at her he captured her lips in a rough kiss and held her close. With one hand he grabbed her leg and pulled it up so her knee was flush against his hip.

She kissed him back, digging her fingers into his upper arms to hold herself upright as her hips pressed against his.

"Mmm... Love you...." Zuko groaned as he backed her up against a wall. He broke the kiss to nip along her jawline and down her neck.

"My Zuko," she muttered as her back hit the wall, letting her head fall against his neck. She shifted her leg higher to lock it around his hips, still clinging to his arms.

"All yours," he bit her neck lightly, pressing himself flush against her.

She made a choked noise as he pressed her against the wall and let go of his arms to pull his head up and kiss him hard.

He kissed her back passionately as he felt along her sides and gripped at her hips. She felt so good pressed against him.

Ginny shivered as his hands slid down her sides and reached up to yank the out his hair tie, twisting her fingers into his hair.

Feeling his hair be released and fall down to his shoulders he groaned as he slid her dress up and brushed his fingertips along her thigh.

She made a whimpering noise in the back of her throat and dug her fingernails into his scalp, arching against him and grinding her hips against his.

"Nn--yes..." he gasped and pressed his lips against her collarbone. Panting softly he fumbled with the fastenings on his trousers and then roughly pressed his knee between her thighs.

"Zuko..." she said, still whimpering slightly. Her hands dropped to his chest again, yanking roughly at his shirt, not caring that she popped several buttons before she got it open. Her lips dropped to his neck as she splayed her hands out on his chest.

Breath hitched in his throat, he tugged down her panties and stroked along her inner thigh.

She shuddered and dug her nails into his chest, making a strangled noise that didn't even come close to being words.

He moaned and bit into her neck as he reached into his pants and pulled out his erection. With one hand he parted her thighs far enough so that he could enter her. Feeling her warmth engulf him he dug his teeth even harder into her skin and made a low guttral noise in his throat.

She jerked and screamed, head hitting the wall as her leg clenched around him. Breathing heavily, she yanked his head up again and kissed him as hard as she could, biting down on his lower lip as she did so.

He kissed her back hard as he went about his business. Later on the two, both mussed yet very contented, were cuddling on the couch. Sighing softly, he pulled her to lean on his shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "I love you... So much..."

"Mmmm." She snuggled up against him with her eyes closed, yawning. "I love you more."

Smiling, he lightly stroked her arm. "Tired?"

"Mm-hmm..." She wrapped an arm around his waist and nuzzled her nose into his neck, sighing contentedly.

"We should go to bed..." He said quietly, though he made no attempt to get up. Just sat there, holding and petting her.

"Kay," she agreed, not moving either.

"We're not moving," he observed with a smirk.

"Mhm," she said, mostly asleep.

Amused, he stood up and gently lifted her and held her in his arms as he carried to to the bedroom. Not quite knowing how the hell her dress was put on in the first place he sat her on the bed and patted her until she woke up some. "Think you could at least undress some yourself?"

"Hmm?" She shook her head, trying to wake herself up. "Yeah..." After a minor struggle she got the dress off and draped it across the back of a chair, not feeling like making the effort to hang it up properly. She then proceeded to crawl into bed without bothering to put on any kind of pajamas.

He smirked at her and then casually shrugged off his shirt and tossed it aside. Sighing contentedly he climbed into bed and snuggled up next to her. "Sleep well, my queen." he whispered.

She opened one eye and blinked at him, smiling sleepily as he curled up against her. "Queen, hmm?" she said softly.

"Yes," he replied, his voice a low sleepy whisper. Smiling at her he brought a hand up to cup her cheek. "Always."

She gave him a sleepy smile. "I like that," she said.

"As you should," he grinned at her.

"Love you," she murmured, wrapping an arm around his chest.

"Love you too..." he whispered, holding her close. "And I never tire of hearing that."


	7. Chapter 6

Ginny glared at her laptop. Sokka didn't know what he was talking about. ...Did he? She huffed and stood up, striding into the living room where Zuko was sitting with his laptop. "Sokka says you're mad at me," she said in a deliberately neutral voice, folding her arms.

"How observant of him," Zuko replied flatly, not even looking at her.

"And why is he the one telling me this and not you?" she asked.

"Not my fault he has a big mouth," he retorted, still not looking at her although there was a hint of hostility in his voice.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she snapped. "If you have a problem you have to talk to me about it, Zuko."

He finally turned his head to shoot her a glare. "Oh right because obviously you've never kept anything from me."

Her mouth fell open and she stared at him for a moment. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm lucky Hiromi is such a good friend..." his eyes still retained the icy glare which he kept fixated on her. "At least she's honest about what she does."

"...That's what this is about?" she asked incredulously. "Zuko, I was drunk off my arse, and it isn't as though the entire conversation wasn't there for anyone to see. I can show it to you right now." She gestured toward his computer. "I assumed you knew. Maybe that was a stupid thing to do but I didn't hide it. And it isn't as though you said anything, either."

"You still didn't tell me," he retorted. "I had to find out on my own, which only hurts more. If that's what you do when you're drunk I can only imagine what you do when you're in the right state of mind."

"Meaning what, exactly," she said, in no mood for him to dance around the subject.

"As if it isn't obvious," he stood up and gave her his back. "You've been going behind my back, haven't you...?"

"You could at least look at me if you're going to make accusations," she snapped.

"Alright then," he turned around quickly. With one hand he grabbed her wrists and held them tightly, pulling her in close so he could look directly into her eyes. "What else have you been doing? Based on what I saw that can't possibly be the only time."

She flinched when he grabbed her, but stopped herself from crying out -- she wasn't about to show him that he'd hurt her. "Fine," she said, her eyes narrowing. "When you broke your promise and ran off on me, Light took me to Costa del Sol to stay with him and Reno for a weekend. We fooled around. I slept with Reno." She sneered at him. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"So is that what you're doing to do every time something happens? Just run off and go sleep with somebody?" he asked through gritted teeth. "That's something I'd expect from some kind of whore. Not you."

She gave him a wide, sarcastic grin. "You told me to. Remember?"

"Just because you could doesn't mean you should, that's flat out disloyalty," he told her, glowering. "Just like I could kill you right now, doesn't mean I'm going to. I wouldn't want to anyway."

Her jaw dropped, and for a minute she didn't know what to say. The threat was clear in his voice and she suddenly realised she was scared. "So you expect me to believe you've never done anything?" she said finally, recovering enough to throw the words at him.

"Oh I've done something, but that was because I was frustrated and got some comfort from it," he admitted, his grip loosening slightly. "However, I still feel guilty about it while you apparently do not."

"What, and you think I wasn't hurting the entire time I was with Light and Reno?" She yanked her wrists out of his grip and started rubbing at them. "You think I don't feel guilty about it?"

"Sure don't act like it," he snapped, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her flush against him. Mostly because he was worried that if he kept his hands free for too long he would wind up eventually physically hurting her and he really did not want to do that.

She inhaled sharply. "Let go of me," she said, low and threatening.

"No," Zuko replied bitterly, narrowing his eyes at her. "Does it hurt? I'm sorry." Though he didn't sound apologetic at all he actually did mean it.

"Don't make me pull my wand on you," she snarled, blinking hard to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes -- his grip on her did hurt. "I don't want to use magic on you but so help me I will."

"I'd turn that stick to ash," he whispered dangerously, his lips barely inches from her ear. "So I'd reconsider that threat if I were you."

"Let go of me," she repeated, voice shaking slightly and hating herself for it. Her mind raced for something to make him let her go. "You know, Light doesn't care if I fool around, and he loves me," she said venomously, seizing on the first thing that came into her head. Then, Shit. Shouldn't've said that.

Without even thinking he slapped her hard across the face and then backed away in shock once he realized what he had done. Voice shaking, he could feel the tears forming in his eyes. "I--I...."

Ginny's eyes went wide with shock and she stared at him for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. "How dare you," she said finally, and seized the first thing her hand fell on, which was a heavy old textbook -- ironically, probably left sitting out from the last time Light had been over going through her schoolbooks. "How dare you!" she shrieked again, and hurled it at him.

He managed to block it by bringing an arm up and it flew off to who knows where. "I--I'm sor--" cutting himself off, he shook his head and the apology along with it. No, it was about time he proved that she had no control over him and he was someone to be feared. "Like you have any right yourself!" Zuko snapped, blue sparks of potential fire flickering off his hands. He quickly regained his composure and stood in an offensive posture in front of her, his cold glare threatening. "I've done so much for you, already. I practically gave up everything because I love you. What have you done....?" His voice trailed off to a low whisper.

"So now you're going to blame me for being happy before I met you?" she yelled, grabbing a half-empty coffee mug on the table and throwing that at him too. Furious tears threatened to spill over. "You're going to blame me for the fact that I'm all you've got?"

The mug flew and he leaned to the side so it hit the wall and shattered behind him instead. "That still doesn't change the fact that you're a fucking hypocrite!" his voice rose along with his temper. "You can go around, do as you please, get knocked up by whoever, while I have to 'be good' for you like some kind of pet! I was willing to give up someone I care greatly about because I only wanted to be with you. I may not know much about it, or have a lot of experience, but I do know that a relationship has to have some form of commitment... Which I've yet to see any of from you at all!" He reached his arm out but rather than hitting her directly a small blast of lightning shot out and left a nice hole in the wall behind her. After doing so he felt bad but he figured she needed to get the point.

She shrieked as the lighting bolt flew past her, then turned back to face him, eyes flashing. "You think I'm not trying?" she demanded. "You think it isn't hard for me? Newsflash, Zuko. I was involved with Light and Reno long before I met you and I did drop them after we got together. I hardly even saw either of them for weeks. No, I'm not going to break off contact with them -- they're my best friends and yeah, they're important to me! You want to know why I slept with Reno?" The tears escaped and started to pour down her cheeks. "It was because you hurt me, Zuko, and I wanted you to hurt too!" She cast around for something else to throw at him and grabbed a little cut-glass candy dish she normally used for spare change but which was now empty. "I felt betrayed and I wanted you to too!" She threw the dish at his head, simultaneously wanting it to hit him and feeling bad about having such a desire in the first place.

The dish hit him square in the corner of his forehead and shattered. Bits of glass cut into his skin and blood dripped down over his already scarred eye. Zuko didn't care, however, and just wiped it away the best he could with the back of his hand although more just kept coming anyway. "Oh and I DIDN'T have a life before I met you either?" He snapped, about ready to actually hurt her. "I never asked you to sever ties! I just want to know that I can trust that you can at least be around the opposite sex without spreading your legs for them! But apparently you can't. For once my sister was right about something. You are a slut and I have terrible taste for being so in love with you! " More sparks flickered. "Aang knows better than to betray me and he's a fucking child! Despite how much this hurts him he still cares and has kept quiet all this time. And believe me, I'm more than grateful to him..... How would you feel if I flirted with every single cute girl that came my way?"

Any response she could have given him caught in her throat as her mind stuck on the fact that he'd called her a slut. She gave a choked sob. "Zuko, I--" she shook her head. "That's not-- you're not--" she couldn't seem to complete a sentence. "That's not true," she finally protested, sounding weak and knowing it.

"Deny it all you want... Try to find something to contradict the fact. You can't, can you?" his voice lowered but it did not waver in the slightest. "It's because you don't have any self control."

"I'm trying," she said, voice still shaking. "Damn it, Zuko--" she strode across the room and grabbed his forearm, yanking on it to make him look at her. "Try to understand," she said, her voice low and a bit stronger. "I've not been in any kind of exclusive relationship in years. It's not going to be easy for me. And--" something occurred to her. "Why the fuck're you listening to your sister, anyway? She's a lying whore and you and I both know it." She gave his arm a shake for emphasis. "She'd do anything to fuck you over."

"Because she's my family," he snapped, looking her dead in the eye. "And she's been right at times..." Zuko continued glaring at her, snarling for a moment. His voice had a dangerous chill to it. "It would be wise of you to unhand me."

I am not afraid of him, she reminded herself, before saying, "Obviously you don't understand." Her lips twisted in a sneer as another wave of anger hit her. "Light does."

"Then go fuck him over!" Zuko shouted, wrenching his arm from her grasp while the other hand shout out a nasty wall of fire at her. It wasn't the hottest it could've been but definitely enough to burn. When he was free from her grasp he stared at her, eyes narrowed, panting from using so much energy he just didn't have at the moment.

Ginny screamed and jerked sideways, though not fast enough to avoid a tendril of fire licking across her upper arm and burning her. Her other hand flew up to clap over the wound as she stared at him in complete shock, tears running down her face, hardly believing what had just happened.

When he saw that he had actually hurt her his face fell. Shaking, tears welled up and poured down his cheeks, mixing with the blood so it didn't look too pretty. "Ginny... I--I'm sorry.... You know I'd never-- I didn't mean to....." He reached out slowly to see if she would let him take her arm to inspect the wound.

Instead she jumped back, ducking away from him. "D--don't," she managed, her face white and scared.

"I'm sorry.." he choked back a sob. "Please... Let me help you..."

"No," she whispered, backing further away from him. "Stay away from me--" and she Disapparated with a resounding crack.

Clearly upset at her as well as himself he screamed in frustration and stomped towards the window. Zuko opened it without much difficulty and climbed out and up along the outer wall, a specific destination in mind.


	8. Chapter 7

Ginny Apparated into the caverns, glancing around at the crystalline structures growing from the walls. Pretty place. Zuko wasn't visible; gnawing nervously on her lower lip, she transferred her wand from her back pocket to its more familiar place in her hair, picked a direction, and started walking.

Zuko sat in a clearing, a place that was one of the deepest points of the catacombs. It was still very familiar to him; the location had been the exact spot where he and Katara had set aside their differences and became friends. Even though he had not been there since, it still had a great deal of significance to him. Perhaps the magic of it would help him resolve this too. In the distance he could hear footsteps echoing and knew she was coming.

Just as she was starting to think she should give up on being able to find him, Ginny found the clearing, and-- "Zuko," she said softly, stopping in her tracks.

Upon hearing his name, he turned his head to look at her. His face showing no emotion, except for a brief gleam in his eyes, he nodded at her.

She felt like she'd been punched. He'd never been so cold to her. "Zuko..." she said again, taking a hesitant couple of steps towards him. "Please talk to me."

"There's nothing to say," his voice was low; almost a whisper. Looking at her, he sighed. "Sorry I burned you? It was an accident....but you..." Zuko glanced away as he brought a hand up to push aside some of the hair that was covering the bandage Katara had put on his head.

"I--" she didn't know what to say. She couldn't mess this up; this was her only chance... thinking quickly, she remembered something Zuko himself had done, several months ago, and dropped to her knees in front of him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing her head.

He froze in shock and gasped softly, not expecting anything like that. There was a blush for a brief moment, before his expression hardened once more. He cupped her face with one hand and tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes. "Say it to my face."

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, eyes filling with tears. "I'm so sorry, Zuko..."

"For what?" He asked in a bitter, serious tone. For the head wound alone? Or for the pain of knowing she was lying to him and not admitting it herself? The pain he felt wasn't worth her not being specific enough for him.

"For everything. For hurting you." She tilted her face into his hand. "I should have told you." She paused, shook her head. "I should never even have gone off with Light and Reno in the first place. Or let Hiromi talk me into doing anything. It-- it's my fault." She lifted a hand to brush away the tears that had finally spilled over.

"I don't mind you going out and seeing people..." He sighed. "But when you do things.... Even worse, do things and not even tell me..." Biting his lip, he glanced away. "It hurts."

"I know," she said, a bit desperately. "I know, Zuko, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... anything I can do to make it up to you, I don't care what it takes..." She swiped at her face again. God, she hated crying like this.

"Don't cry," Zuko said softly and then lightly brushed his lips against hers. "I just want you to be happy... If you're happier with someone else, I understand. You just have to tell me what you want. I love you so much it hurts, and I need the comfort of knowing the pain is worth it." His lip trembled as he tried to keep from breaking down. "I can't keep getting hurt like this... I can't keep doing all these things for you and have it seem like it was all for nothing. I'm trying so hard for you...." Now he too was crying, and he had to take a moment to take a deep breath so he could choke back a sob. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Please... Just be happy...and let me know when you aren't.... I'll do anything for you."

She collapsed against his chest, sobbing and clinging to him. "Just you," she managed to say eventually, and hoped he knew what she meant.

"You didn't have to run away...." he whispered, pressing his lips against her neck. "I wanted to help you."

"...I was scared," she admitted quietly after a moment. "I didn't know what else to do."

"I would never," he looked at her, "hurt you intentionally. I thought you knew that?"

"I do," she whispered into his chest.

"You don't have to be afraid," he whispered, holding her tightly. "I'd never let anything bad happen to you." There was a pause. "Are you still hurt?"

"No," she said, sitting up slightly to show him her arm. "Orihime healed me, I'm all right. But--" she reached up to brush his hair aside and peer at his forehead. "Gods, Zuko. I'm so sorry..."

Zuko looked away when he felt her hand near his wound. "It's all right." It was hard for him to hide the mild tone of resentment in his voice but he tried. "Katara's a skilled healer. I'll be fine."

"It's not all right," she disagreed. "I shouldn't've--" she bit her lip, glancing away. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"This is nothing compared to..." He was about to mention his scar but didn't, hoping she'd somehow get the message. "I've suffered worse."

"Still." Her eyes flicked back up to meet his briefly before she leaned forward, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she repeated herself for the hundredth time.

"I'm sorry too...." he replied. "Sorry I can't be what you want.... That I must put other things before you. You don't need that."

"But you are what I want," she said. "I know you're not perfect, but no-one is. And you have responsibilities, I know that."

"You need someone who can be there for you..." he told her. "Someone who doesn't have to always take risks...and doesn't mind it when you want to be shared." His gaze lowered. "I can't be that kind of person."

"Anyone less than you would bore me," she told him, trying to smile.

He could see that she was starting to feel better and smiled back at her. "You can't tell me it doesn't hurt you when I get possessive... Which I can't help but eh...."

"You're allowed to be. I get possessive over you," she pointed out.

"Really now?" he smirked. "When's that?"

She looked up at him, a smile finally starting to spread across her face. "All the time."

"Really now?" he rested his forehead against hers.

"Yeah." Her expression grew serious. "I love you, you know."

"I know you do," Zuko closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry....but it'll take me a while to trust you again.... I'm still just...." He bit his lip and looked at her.

Her face fell. "...I understand."

"I love you...so much...." he whispered, tightening his grip on her. "Could you at least tell me why....you had to do that? Is there something I don't know?"

Her brow furrowed. "What d'you mean?"

"Is there more that you want, that I can't give you?" he asked her quietly, trying not to sound as upset as he felt.

"Oh, Zuko, no," she said, dismayed. She reached up and cupped his cheek in one hand, brushing her thumb across his cheekbone. "I'm happy with you, I am..."

"Then why...? I don't understand...." He leaned into her hand. "I know I have loyalty issues...but still..."

She shook her head. "I wish I could offer you a good explanation. The thing with Hiromi... I was drunk, and I wasn't thinking. And..." she bit her lip. "With... when I went to Costa del Sol... to be entirely honest, I wanted to hurt you. That's not an excuse, but..." She looked away. "It's the truth."

"I... I...don't understand...." he rested his head against her shoulder. "I didn't mean to hurt you... Just trying to make things better....."

"I know you didn't," she murmured, moving her hand to run her fingers through his hair. She snorted softly. "God, we're a fucked-up pair, aren't we."

"Yeah..." Zuko agreed with a nod. "Maybe.... We're just too different...?"

"No," she said instantly, jerking his head up and forcing him to look at her. "No. Don't say that."

"When I'm not doing something that hurts you, we're fighting," he told her. "How could this ever work?"

"Because I love you, Zuko," she insisted. "Don't you think it's worth making it work?"

"I love you too, Ginny..." he sighed softly. "But if given the choice between you and the fate of the world.... It pains me a lot to say this..." Tears welled up in his eyes. "But I'd have to give you up..."

She had no idea how to respond to such a statement, and so she didn't, instead closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his. It hurt to hear it, but she could understand it, too -- he had a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders.

"I don't know what hurts more.... Being with you and knowing that I might have to let you go.... Or being without you and only wanting you more...." Trying not to cry, he clung onto her and his breath puffed against her lips. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"Let's not speculate on it," Ginny said, blinking back tears of her own.

Without another word he captured her lips possessively with his own, kissing her hard. He clung onto her tightly as he kissed her, not wanting to let her go.

Inhaling sharply, she kissed him back, twisting her fingers into his hair. She realised suddenly how much she'd missed him and clung tighter, a single tear escaping and trailing down her cheek.

"I love you," he whispered after he broke the kiss and brushed his lips against her neck. Blinking back tears became more and more difficult by the moment.

"I love you more," she said, sniffling, and struggling to smile at him.

"Don't do that to me again," he told her. "Or else..." His voice trailed off.

"...or else?" she repeated, a note of fear creeping into her voice as she leaned back to look at him.

"We'll have to end it," he sighed, looking back at her. "I'm sorry....but I can't keep putting myself through this."

"I..." she nodded. "I don't blame you. I've not..." She struggled for, and gave up on finding, the right words to explain herself. Instead she shook her head and leaned against his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered yet again.

"I'm sorry too..." There was a long moment of silence and deep breathing before Zuko spoke again. "The other day....I was angry. Said some things I really didn't mean....and I apologise for that."

She snuggled against him. "I still love you. I don't think I can not."

"And I can't fathom why...." he chuckled and cuddled with her.

"I've told you," she said, tilting her head up to brush her lips against the underside of his jaw. "Because you are a kind, compassionate man who cares about his people despite everything that life has thrown at him."

"And I'm so awesome I'm hated no matter where I go," he smirked and pulled her onto his lap.

"Zuko..." She frowned at him. She wished he wouldn't be so self-deprecating. He was better than that.

"Well. If you say so." She kept frowning.

"Don't look at me like that," his face fell.

"Awww." She reached up and brushed a finger across his lips. "Smile, love. I like it when you smile."

Delicately, he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it before flashing her a smile. "Anything for you, my lady."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "You're such a sweetheart," she murmured.

"No, I'm not," Zuko stood up, sitting for too long was starting to get to him. "Really."

"Yes you are," she disagreed, also standing up. "You may not realise it, but you are."

"Then it must be some sort of trick only you can get me to do," he shook his head then looked around for a moment, as if he thought he heard something. It was probably just a mouse.

"Mhm," she agreed, stepping forward to take his hands and weaving her fingers through his. "That's all right with me." She didn't notice his distraction.

Smiling, Zuko leane dforward and lightly kissed her on the lips. Suddenly, he could feel the ground vibrate beneath his feet and he leapt back. "Someone's coming!" he shouted. "You shouldn't be here!"

Ginny, who had been leaning in to kiss him back, jumped about a foot. "What?" she demanded.

"I'll explain later!" Distant echoes of rock and crystal exploding could be heard as the cave itself rattled. He pointed to the tunnel she had entered through. "Leave!" For the first time in a long while he had used the tone of voice that meant he was giving a direct order. On the opposite end of the clearing a hole burst open in the wall and shards of crystal and stone flew in all directions. Dozens of uniformed men clad in green came dashing out. "Go now!" he called over his shoulder as he held his hands up to the men signaling defeat.

"Zuko--" she protested, reaching for her wand. She hesitated, then decided that in this instance, it would probably be best to do as he said. "Be careful!" she shouted at him, and Disapparated.

When she had gone Zuko put his hands behind his back and allowed himself to be handcuffed by their Earthbending.

"By order of Princess Azula, you are under arrest for treachery againt both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, how do you plead?" One of the uniformed men said as they led him down the tunnel.

"Guilty," Zuko replied and a smile spread across his lips. His amused expression was met with similar by both of the Dai Li agents escorting him. He knew his plotting would pay off eventually. There was a loud crash as the hole to the catacombs was closed off behind them and he was led away.


	9. Chapter 8

No alcohol yet. Fine..... Okay, maybe just a little bit. Zuko smirked as he looked around the throne room for the bottle of gin he had been sipping from. After ten minutes of searching he grew quite frustrated and then had a moment when he realized why he couldn't find it. He had brought it to his room the night before to drink while he was answering his emails from Katara. Figuring he could risk leaving the room unsecured he padded down the halls to his bedroom and opened the door.

Hearing the door open, Ginny shifted her weight, smirking to herself as the handcuffs locking her to the headboard rattled softly. "Hallo, love," she called out.

Hearing her voice, he practically had a heart attack, the door slamming open as he jumped. "Wha--When...!!!" Though he fell completely silent when he saw her, and he was glad he had not been drinking or else the bottle he would've been holding would've dropped to the floor and shattered at that moment.

Her smirk widenened. "Zuko. Happy birthday."

Without another word he stepped towards her and leaned down to run his hand along her stomach as he captured her lips in a heated kiss.

She smiled against his lips as she kissed him back, lifting one bare leg to run her toes down his side and around to the back of his leg.

He broke the kiss slowly so he could tug off his shirt and toss it to the opposite side of the room. Licking his hips as he stared at her through heavy lidded eyes, he undid the fastenings of his pants and stepped out of them. Panting softly, he climbed onto the bed and straddled her, running his hands down along her torso. "You're so...hot...."

"Mmm." The smirk returned. "I try."

Face reddening, he let his hands wander up to cup her breasts, rubbing the nipples with his thumbs. Murmuring softly, he bent down to kiss along her jawline up to her ear and nipped at it. "You're wonderful."

She shivered, her arms jerking involuntarily against the cuffs. "Kiss me again?" she asked.

No need for a verbal response he kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth. All the while he continued ravishing her breasts with his hands, his hips pressed hard against her.

She sighed happily and kissed him back, running her tongue along the roof of his mouth as she twined her legs around his.

He pulled back from the kiss to catch his breath, panting heavily against her lips. Groaning softly, as his groping became rougher, he licked around her ear and huffed hot air against it. "Stunning...." he whispered in a low, lust-filled, tone. "Absolutely stunning..." His hands left her chest to feel along down her waist and stomach. "Mmmm... You've got me so hard babe..."

She licked her lips and looked at him through heavy eyelids. "What are you... waiting for, then?" she asked, her breath starting to come a bit heavily.

His eyes flickered and he smirked, lowering his hips slightly to rub it against her. "You want it?" he asked dangerously, huffing hot breaths and swirled his tongue around the shell of her ear.

"When don't I?" she rejoined with a wicked grin, arching her back into him.

"Mmhmm...." he huckled low in his throat, kissing down to her neck and all the way to her shoulder. "Such a slutty thing to say... I love it...." He bit into her shoulder hard enough to leave a mark and then leaned to brush a light kiss against her lips. "Tell me how bad you want it and I may just give it to you." His hands found her hips and he picked her up a bit, pressing the tiniest amount into her as he groped her backside.

She bit back a moan, arms straining against the cuffs again. Normally the comment would have angered her, but right then she couldn't bring herself to care. "H--how?" she stuttered.

"Beg for me, my love," he whispered against her lips. "Beg for me to take you."

"Please," she whispered, still straining against the handcuffs. "Take me... I'm yours..." She arched her back again, trying to press herself closer to him.

He moaned as he thrust into her, pressing his lips hard against hers. "Mine," he groaned softly, lifting her hips to get as much in as possible. "All mine...." he nipped at her bottom lip.

She made a sound just barely too soft for a scream and kissed him back hard, wrapping a leg around him in an effort to pull him as close as possible. "Move, damn you," she hissed when he broke the kiss, the handcuffs rattling loudly as she fought against them.

In response he grunted, spreading her legs farther and bringing her knees higher as he slammed hard into her. Moaning softly, he licked his lips and gave her sloppy, rough kisses. "Feels so wonderful...." he murmured between kisses. "Love you so much....." His hands slid up from her legs and hips to claw at her sides and rake his nails along her stomach as he thrust into her.

She threw her head back and did scream this time, moving her hips as best she could without anything to brace herself against. "Love you," she said, and bit down hard on his bottom lip.

He moaned loudly into her mouth, feeling her clench tight around him. Sweat beading along his back, he held her hips in place as he slammed forcefully into her, much rougher than he ever did before. He broke the kiss to pant heavily against her lips. "Going to...going to..." he murmured.

She screamed again and wrapped her legs around him more tightly, struggling to maintain some semblance of control over herself. When he pulled away she managed a nod of acknowledgement, breathing heavily herself.

He cried out as he came, digging his nails into her skin and bit hard into her shoulder. His hips thrust hard and he slowed before pulling out. Panting, he kissed along her shoulder and neck.

His release pushed her over the edge and she cried out with him, her entire body shuddering. She lay quiet for the time being, her heart rate slowly returning to normal.

"Love you," he whispered, nuzzling against her neck as he relaxed against her. His hands smoothed down her sides and thighs in a comforting manner.

She smiled, tilting her head to press a kiss to his temple. "Love you too."

"How was that?" he asked quietly as he sat up a bit and dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"...Wow," she managed after a moment, a slightly ridiculous smile making its way across her face.

"Want me to get you out of these?" he tugged at the cuffs chaining her to the bed.

"Please," she said, her voice dry, though she was still smiling. "Key's over there, by your real present," she added, motioning with her chin to the bureau on the other side of the room... where there was indeed a large box.

"Allright," Zuko nodded and slid off the bed to get his pants back on. Once semi-clothed he padded to his bureau and took the key in one hand and the box in the other. When he climbed back onto the bed he put the box to the side as he unlocked the handcuffs to set her free, then set the box in his lap and opened it. "Cute!" he shrieked with delight when he pulled out what was inside.

Once he had unlocked her she sat up, rubbing at her wrists. She folded her legs underneath her and sat watching him, not particularly caring that she was still completely naked. "That was a good choice, then?" she asked him, amused at his reaction.

He practically squeed as he opened the cage and took the little critter out. "It's called a hamster, right?" he asked as he held it in his hands and giggled at its twitching little nose.

"Yes, it's a hamster," she said, laughing. "He hasn't a name, so you can call him whatever you'd like."

"Hmmm...." Zuko thought long and hard for a moment, staring at the small animal intently. "Pez," he decided. "Short for Pezuzu."

"...Pez," she said after a moment. "Why not, he's your pet." She leaned over to pet the fuzzy little creature with one finger.

"First thing it came to mind..." He said with a shrug, smiling down at it as it tried to scurry up along his arm. "Maybe it's because I read about it somewhere today. Some sort of candy."

"All right," she said, raising an eyebrow at him, and kissed his cheek. "Good birthday, then?" she continued as she unfolded a blanket from the end of the bed and wrapped it around her.

"Oh yes," he replied, putting the hamster back in its cage so he could lean over and brush a kiss against her lips. "Very nice."

"Glad you enjoyed it," she said, smiling and snuggling up against his side.

"Thank you," he said softly, kissing her on the cheek.

"I just want you to be happy," she said quietly, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I'm always happy when I'm with you," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

She climbed up into his lap, smiling to herself. "Love you," she said.

"Love you more," he replied, brushing his lips lightly against hers. Smirking, he reached to the nightstand and grabbed the bottle that still sat there. "Drink now?"

"Oh..." She hesitated. "I would, but... I promised Maru I'd go see the babies tonight, and I rather need to be sober for that."

"S'alright," he smiled and nuzzled against her neck. "Have fun.... Just don't go there naked."

She spluttered. "That wasn't quite the plan," she said, climbing reluctantly off of him and crossing the room to pick up a long red dress robe from where she had draped it over a chair.

"Good," he said, leaning back and taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. "'cause I like being the only one who gets to see you like that."

"And besides which it would likely traumatise poor Maru," she said, tossing the blanket over the chair and stepping into the skirt.

"A sandwich traumatized him," Zuko pointed out with a grin. "I think your boobs are less of a threat."

"Funny," she said, pulling her hair out of the neck of the dress. "Very funny. He's my brother, Zuko, I would not blame him in the slightest for being traumatised."

"..." Zuko thought about this for a moment. "I saw Azula's tits and nothing happened. Maybe sensei's just weird."

"Uh-huh. Well." She crossed back over to the bed and reached out to brush Zuko's hair back from his face. "I'll see you later, all right, love?"

He put the bottle down so he could cup her face with both hands and pulled her in for a gentle kiss on the lips. "Alright," he nodded. "Later."

"Mmm." She kissed him back, smiling. "Happy birthday, my heart."

"Thanks," he beamed. "For everything."

"Of course." She pulled her wand out. "I love you."

"Love you too," he winked and took another swig from the bottle.

"Bye," she said cheerfully, and Disapparated.


	10. Chapter 9

Ginny Apparated into the throne room of the palace, dressed more formally this time in a high-necked black sleeveless dress robe. The sword was strapped to her waist again. Ignoring the several shocked Dai Li agents, she strode across the room, holstering her wand. "Hallo, love," she said, sweeping up the steps to the throne.

"Hello," Zuko grinned, waving the four very startled Dai Li agents off for they had decided she was a threat and were about to try to cuff her. Since he was splayed across the chair he had to swing his legs around and plant them on the floor in order to get up. Unfortunately, he seemed to do this too quickly upon the excitement of seeing her and stumbled. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, cursing the boots he wore -- they seemed to have two inch platform heels, having been rejected by Azula for being a few sizes too large. After regaining his composure he strode down to her and pulled her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him and titled her face up, kissing him softly. "Mmm. Missed you," she said, smiling at him.

"Missed you more," he replied, kissing softly along her jawline. "Wanna go see it?"

"What? Oh! Yes please. You've made me very curious." She grinned.

Smiling, he took her by the hand and lead her down the corridor. The boy practically tripped over his own feet because of how quickly he wanted to get there. Finally he brought her to two large stained glass doors and pushed them open, revealing a magnificent balcony that overlooked a majority of the city. Ba Sing Se itself looked absolutely splendid, every last street was lit up in the night, and even the rural areas were well lit by the full moon's light. It had a tranquil feel to it. Almost...peaceful. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Ohhh," she gasped, leaning against Zuko and tucking her arm through his. "Oh, Zuko, it's beautiful." It was, too -- they didn't have anything like this in her world, and it was really an extraordinary sight.

"I've never seen anything this pretty in such a long time," he sighed, slowly leading her to the very edge so he could look over the banister. "As 'bright' as home was it had this sort of 'dark' aura that kept it from looking...quite like this." Zuko went silent for a moment, still gazing at the scenery before him, taking his time to take in the majesty of it all. "They're so blissfully unaware too. It's fascinating." A small smile tugged at his lips then. "And I did this," he told her with a soft chuckle. "I managed to bring peace to a city full of chaos...at least for now. No idea how long it will last." There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I'm just amazed by it all, you know?"

She looked seriously up at him. "Well. You did a good job, then, love. You can't fix everything, but at least you helped."

"I try," he nodded and looked at her. "Really don't want to be like my father...or Azula... Rather be mediocre with happy people, than be all-powerful but put everyone through misery."

She smiled. "I've told you this before, love, and I'll say it again -- you're a good man, and you'll be a great ruler." She reached up and tucked his hair behind his ear so she could see his face. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me," he beamed and lightly rested his hands on her hips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she replied, leaning forward to tuck herself up against his chest.

"Mmm," he murmured softly, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Making contented sounds he kissed the top of her head. There was a moment where he just relaxed, breathing deeply, savoring the moment of just holding her before he spoke again. "So you want me to teach you how to use that sword, yes?"

She leaned back, eyes lighting up. "Ooh! Yes! I've been resisting the temptation to take it out and wave it madly around for ages now..."

"When would you like to do this?" he asked with a smile. "It'd be better when there's more light to see by. I could take you to the gardens out back, plenty of room there."

"Tomorrow?" she asked hopefully. "I could stay here tonight..."

"That would be nice," his voice dropped to just above a whisper. He then captured her lips in a chaste kiss.

She hummed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. "...Have you heard from your father yet?" she asked when they parted, remembering that he'd sent him a letter.

"No, not yet," Zuko sighed and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes for a moment. "Not that it really matters."

"No," she agreed. "It doesn't." She nudged at his nose with hers. "And hey. You've always got me."

"Yes," he huffed against her lips. "Which is many times better."

"Many," she agreed with a grin. "So what d'you do around here for fun?" she asked after a moment.

"Crossword puzzles," he chuckled. "Oh, and when I get really bored I order the Dai Li around and make them do pointless thing. Like arranging flowers, running useless errands throughout the city, and the like." There was a brief pause before he spoke again. "And lately I've been on a hunt of a sort..." His voice lowered as if making a confession.

"For what?" she said, curious.

"Not what--who," he shook his head. "Since spotting her--erm--Mai I've been trying to find her again. This place is just so big it's proving to be near impossible. Not to mention I also probably have terrible timing." He made a small frustrated grunt then sighed. "Not that it's my concern right now, though."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Oh. Her. What d'you want to find her for?"

"Just curious is all," he shrugged. "Besides, she could be spying for Azula. So I want to snuff it out before anything bad happens."

"Oh. All right." She moved her arms down to wrap tightly around his waist. "Mmmm... let's find something to do."

"Like what?" he asked, gently trailing his hands up along her spine, nuzzling against her neck as he did so.

"I don't know." She grinned mischieviously at him. "You're the one who lives here."

"Already told you," he chuckled. "There's nothing really to do here at night."

"This is a huge city, there's got to be something," she disagreed.

"Hm," he pondered for a moment. "I could take you to this nice fountain I know of."

"Okay," she agreed, smiling. "Where is it?"

"Not too far from here," he pointed in a vague direction. "Near where Uncle and I used to live. It was Jin who showed it to me. I think you'd like it." Zuko then took her by the hand and led her to his sleeping quarters. "Just let me find something more suitable to wear."

"All right," she said, following him agreeably to his rooms. "What sort of thing are you going to change into? Because I'll feel awfully silly in my dress robes if you look all casual."

"That reminds me," he then disappeared into his closet and returned quickly with a bundle. "This is for you. The Dai Li uniform Azula used to masquerade in. I think it'll fit. It'd be better if you don't stand out too much... I just pulled the place from chaos." He then flashed her a smirk before tugging the metal crown from his hair and the tie along with it. As his hair fell around his shoulders he then fumbled around in his closet some more for something to change into.

"Ha, ha," she said dryly, taking the clothing from him. "And besides which I'm pretty much doomed to stand out in a crowd, given my hair." Nevertheless, she shook out the uniform and started working her way out of the dress robes.

"Hah," he chuckled as he pulled his top over his head after kicking of fthe obnoxious boots and then started fumbling with his pants. No use trying to cover anything up because it wasn't like she hadn't seen anything before. He then took a moment to ponder between two different shirts. Black and red, or green and gold? "It's dark enough out your hair won't be as noticeable..." There was a hint of worry at his voice because the Dai Li still considered her threatening, despite how many times he had to assure them she wasn't.

She giggled at him from somewhere inside the skirt of her robes. "It isn't as though I mind, anyway," she said as she finally got the thing off and tossed it across the bed. "I quite like my hair. How does this thing work?" she asked, poking at the uniform.

"There's pants and a shirt, which I'm sure you know how to put on, the tunic goes over it and then you just tie the sash around," he explained as he slipped into a pair of dark pants. "It's a lot simpler than it looks." After saying that he put on the black and red shirt he chose and tightened it around himself then dug through a pile of stuff for his arm guards and boots.

"Oh. All right." She dressed quickly and then climbed up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged as she watched Zuko dig through his things. "You know, everything would be much easier to find if you put it away where it belonged," she said with a grin.

"Spent a couple years on a ship with a bunch of sailers, d'you really expect me to be neat as a pin?" he rolled his eyes then made a gleeful noise when he found what he was looking for. Upon plopping himself on the floor he slipped on the leather arm guards with ease and only had minor difficulty with his boots. Fortunately, these were flat and manly, unlike the ridiculous heeled things he had on before. When he was sure everything was in order he stood up and went over to her so he could plant a light kiss on her lips.

"Mmm," she hummed, kissing him back. "Show me where we're going, my love." She offered him a hand to help her up off the bed.

"Alright," he gladly took her by the hand and showed her to the front walk outside of the palace. "It's a little too far by foot, but there are these trains of a sort, that seem to get around by Earthbending. Mind trying that or would you prefer walking?"

"Ooh, can we?" she said, lighting up. Months after meeting Zuko, bending still fascinated her, and she couldn't begin to fathom how a train would be moved by earthbending.

"Sure," Zuko nodded, taking her down the rather long sidewalk. "I believe there's a station nearby if I'm not mistaken.... Ah there it is!" He then pointed to a large sign that showed where it was.

"...Yeah, you're going to have to do all the sign-reading, love, the only language I can read is English," she said, patting his arm.

"Sorry," he shrugged and casually brought her to the ticket counter. Biting his lip, he dug into his pocket for money. A few silver pieces should cover it. Without an exchange of words he handed the old woman his money and got two tickets in exchange. The money itself was stolen... Well sort of. It was what whatever Azula left behind, and it was Earth Kingdom money, so he could only assume she jacked it from somewhere. It was funny in a way, after the lecture his uncle had given him, even now he had to resort to using stolen goods. "The next one looks like it'll be departing soon."

"Okay." She tucked her arm back through his and snuggled up against his side. "Just let me know when it's time to go..."

Smiling at her, he helped her board the car and sat them both down on one of the stone benches. Across from them was a rather creepy looking fat guy with a face that screamed BADURH. "This is why I don't go out at night..." he whispered.

*Note by BADURH I mean THIS GUY! LOL WTF*

"Be nice, love," she said, without any real venom, and leaned comfortably against him.

"Comfortable?" he asked, obviously amused, as he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Yes," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

He was about to say something really witty and seductive but thought better of it. Public place and all. Smirking as if very satisifed with his own musings, he laid his arm across her shoulders and sighed. A few moments passed before the sounds of people behind the train and it lurched sharply. "I think...we're moving...."

"Ooh," Ginny said, sitting up straighter. "How's it work, then?"

"Behind the train there are a couple of Earthbenders, and I think they basically shift the rock a bunch of times to get it to move as they push it forward along the track." he tried to explain, even though he wasn't so sure himself. "They don't really have much in the way of technology."

"That's rather amazing," she said, fascinated. "I sort of wish I could bend something."

"You can do similar with your magic, can't you?" he asked.

"Mhm, sort of. Not near with such power as you can," she said.

"But you can do so much more than anyone here could ever dream of," he told her, turning his head to look at her.

She shrugged. "I'm not really that grand a witch, I'm just good with hexes and jinxes."

"You're really impressive," he insisted. "All I can do is burn things. No options, no nothing. Just make fire and Oooo look at how pretty that building is when it's burning to the ground." Zuko had to lower his voice so no one else would hear. "Katara can heal... Aang can fly...you could make people turn purple with green spots. Never ceases to amaze me."

"Oh, love." She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled at him. "You amaze me," she said softly.

A blush spread across his cheeks upon hearing her say that. "...D--Don't see how....." His Royal Dweebness strikes again.

"I know you don't believe me when I say it, but really, you're an incredible person, you know," she told him, her voice still low.

"Not as incredible as you," he whispered, brushing a featherlight kiss against her cheek. The car slowed to a stop then. "This is it," he said, standing up and offering her his hand.

She smiled, taking his hand. "You're sweet," she said, letting him lead her out of the car.

"This way I think," he told her when they left the station and went down an empty yet rather well lit road. Soon they reached familiar territory, they were near where his old apartment was and the restaurant he had gone to with Jin. "This feels...a bit strange," he confessed with a sigh.

"Why's that?" she asked, not really paying attention -- she was looking around in fascination.

"...It's complicated," he replied after a moment, getting the sense that they were getting closer. He could still recall not too long ago, the feel of Jin's hand tightly around his wrist as she led him clumsily through the city. Even though he hardly knew her.... Didn't feel much of anything... There was something there. If there hadn't he wouldn't have kissed her back, right? No, that didn't matter now. It was many, many months ago. Things had changed.

"Mhm," she agreed, still not actually listening as she threaded her fingers through his, eyes flicking along the rooftops. She'd never been anywhere that looked like this city did.

His heart started to pound faster, harder, breathing coming in soft pants, and he wasn't sure why. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled briefly, amused by how fascinated she was with everything. To him, this was everyday. The buildings and streets all looked the same. He'd almost forgotten that cities weren't made like this where she was from. Another corner to turn and then....there it was. Again, almost like a flash of deja vu, it wasn't lit. Whoever was in charge of its upkeep must've decided to abandon it long ago. Only this time.... He didn't have to hide. "Watch this."

She looked up at him. "Hmm? Oh..." An excited smile spread across her face. "I'm watching."

Zuko took a deep breath, not much of an act of perparation as it was just to get his heart to slow down. When he felt centered enough he waved his hand and all of the lower lights lit up at once, as if being washed over by a wave of light. For the others he lit them one by one, using a single hand to aim and light them. His movements were precise yet graceful, almost as if it were a dance of some sort. "There," he said when the last light was lit and he stepped back to admire his work.

Ginny's eyes went wide. "Oh..." she gasped, at a loss for words. She forgot most of the time how powerful he was, so his rare demonstrations were thrilling.

"You like it?" he asked softly, looking at her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close.

"'Pretty' doesn't do it justice," she murmured, looking around her as she leaned against his chest.

"I was hoping you'd like it," he smiled as he tilted her chin up to kiss her.

Where was that light coming from? Jin wondered as she was about to head home when something odd caught her eye. It looked like it was coming from...The Firelight Fountain! But it was never lit anymore! It hadn't been lit since.... She hadn't thought about him in a while now....but after seeing the distant glow she couldn't help but wonder. Could it be? She dashed down the street and rounded the corner, nearly tripping as she did so. Her pacing slowed when the fountain came in sight until she was almost tiptoeing. Two people...A man and a woman....and the fountain. The man's voice sounded familiar even though it was barely audible...It was. She was about to call to him when she saw him kiss her. What?

As he kissed her he couldn't help an odd feeling he was getting. This scene was all too familiar. It happened before, even though the situation was slightly different. Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine when he felt as if he was being watched. As if something had hit him he pulled away from the kiss to look over his shoulder and saw....her.

"What's wrong, love?" Ginny asked, frowning, as he pulled away -- he looked... upset?

"Lee..." Jin said softly when she saw him turn and stepped forward, seeing more of his face in the light. Yes, it was definitely him. Her mind fixated on the specific target, completely blocking out everything around her, including the other woman. "What are... What are you doing here?" Her voice was low and light.

"...Jin," Zuko wanted to back away but couldn't. The pounding returned to his chest once more, faster and harder than ever. He had to will his face not to redden, to not let the nervous sweat bead on his face even though it desperately wanted to. He wanted to run, oh how he did, just like the night so long ago. This was time was different, he couldn't. His feet were planted to the ground, body stiff and frozen. He looked at Ginny before glancing back to Jin.

"Zuko, what--" Ginny spun around, jumping when she saw Jin. "Who..."

Jin couldn't help the flames of jealousy that tickled at her insides. How dare he bring another woman to their place. Sure it had only been one date, but she had hoped that even still she had made some sort of impression on him. Since then she had considered this place to be even more sacred than she used to, secretly hoping that she would see him again. But not like this... No. Not with him wrapped around another girl, acting like that wonderful memory never even happened. Rather than tense up and act upon her instincts, she had chosen to give the impression of being soft, as if the scene didn't faze her in the slightest. "I see you remembered where it is," Jin tried to force a smile even though it was hard, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

Zuko's heart pounded so hard he thought it was going to burst. A lump formed in his throat that was incredibly difficult to force down. The feel of her soft hand on him sent chills throughout his body. Feelings of guilt, shame, and fear. As if acting of its own free will his other hand grabbed Ginny's wrist possessively, hoping that small gesture would give the other girl some sort of message. "Mm," was all he could think to reply with.

Finally deciding to give said other woman her attention, Jin turned her head. "I'm Jin..." Her eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Ginevra," she said sharply, deliberately giving the girl her full name; 'Ginny' was what her friends called her. This girl clearly had some kind of history with her firebender and therefore Ginny was going to be wary of her. "And how do you know Zuko?" she asked, leaning possessively against him.

Jin tried to think of something bitter to retort with but couldn't. All she could stammer out was a "Huh?" and turned to look at Zuko.

It took Zuko a long moment before he could bring himself to speak. "Jin... W--When we went out... I had to make up my name...." There was an even longer pause as he took a deep breath. "I'm not the person you think I am..."

"You're a firebender, right?" Jin had to try not to snort. "You're not that hard to figure out. How else could've it magically lit. I thought by not saying anything you'd get the message that I didn't care...." Jin then tugged at his sleeve. "I don't understand... Why you had to hide.... Why you had to lie... You lost it to me... Said so yourself. Was that a lie too?"

"No," again, he had to try not to redden. "Just.... My indentity...." A long, breathy sigh. "Look, things change... I'm not... It's complicated." He then cast Ginny a pleading look.

Her only response was to raise an eyebrow at him. She certainly had no clue what was going on, or what this Jin girl was talking about, and she wasn't going to give Zuko any help with it, either. He could talk his own way out of this one.

Trying not to freak out, Jin took a deep breath. "I don't understand..." A pause, she crossed her arms. "It's going to be complicated with you isn't it?" She turned around and started to walk off. "You know what? Fine. Let me know when you want to admit the truth.... You know where I live. I know I gave your nice uncle my address!" So they wouldn't see her cry she sped off back towards her home. It was bad enough when she finally decided to use her coupon neither he or his uncle wasn't there--they had moved on to another shop. But now...this? It was simply unbearable at the moment.

"Jin! Wait--" Zuko tried to stop her but fell silent, watching her speed down the street. Sighing softly, he looked at Ginny with a worried expression. "I'm sorry..."

She folded her arms and stared at him. "Explain to me what just happened, please."

"...That was Jin..." he told her, his voice low from still trying to calm down. "I went on a date with her a long time ago... I also erm-- Well, that doesn't matter now.... Does it?"

"Not as such, no," she agreed. "But clearly something else happened, or she wouldn't have been near so upset."

"I--I--," Zuko stammered, trying to figure out how to word it. "I slept with her, okay? Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away. It's history, don't care anymore." He too folded his arms and looked away, pouting.

"...I see," she said quietly after a moment. She judiciously decided not to bring up the fact that he had obviously deliberately hidden this from her; they had enough trust issues as it was. "I always sort of thought... I was..." her voice trailed off. She wasn't sure what to think, really.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, pulling her into a hug. "Thought I told you... When we were first talking..."

"Not that I recall," she replied sharply, keeping her arms stubbornly folded. "...Did she mean anything to you?" she asked, knowing as she said it that it was an unfair question without a good answer.

"It wasn't much," he confessed. "Really. Actually it was pretty terrible....." His voice lowered to barely a mumble. "Got embarrassed and ran away...." He nuzzled against her neck. "You mean so much more."

She felt herself starting to cave and resisted. "Poor girl," she whispered, looking off in the direction she had run.

"I love you...." he whispered, kissing her softly near her ear. "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you should be apologising to," she said, giving in and letting her arms fall to wrap around his waist as she leaned against him.

"There's nothing to say really..." he sighed, holding her tightly. "It's not like I ever promised her anything."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked dryly. She was starting to pity the other girl; clearly she cared far more about Zuko than he ever had about her.

"I didn't know her," he tried to explain. "And I wasn't in a position to know her... It was complicated... Still is."

"Uh-huh," she said, not totally believing him, but she decided to let the subject drop for the time being. The last thing she wanted was to start another fight with him. "Tell me you love me," she said abruptly and looked up at him, realising as she said it that she actually was a bit jealous of the girl -- she'd sort of liked the idea of being his first.

"I love you... More than anything...." he told her, leaning in to brush his lips lightly against hers.

She kissed him back forcefully, needing suddenly the reassurance of the physical contact. Whatever that girl had meant to him, whatever he still meant to her, Zuko was hers now and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make sure he knew it. Some part of her realised she was being ridiculous, but she didn't care.

He murmured softly as he kissed her even harder, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he sat on the edge of the fountain and pulled her onto his lap.

She sighed happily and relaxed against him, lifting a hand to tangle it in his hair. "Mmm... love you," she murmured as she pulled away to catch her breath.

"Love you more," he trailed soft kisses along her jawline. "You don't have to worry about things... I'm yours... All yours."

"Good," she said, tucking herself closer to him as she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"You tired?" he asked quietly, running his hand lightly up and down her back.

She shrugged. "Not really," she said, opening her eyes to look sideways up at him. "I just like being with you."

"I love being with you too," he smiled, hugging her tightly. "You're the first person I've ever felt this way about... You know that?"

She beamed at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," Zuko nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Before I never really had much time to meet people... Let alone go out with anybody..... So...." His voice trailed off and he rested his chin on top of her head.

She closed her eyes again and wrapped her arms around him. "You're such a sweetheart."

"You give me too much credit," he sighed, relaxing a bit. Unfortunately, he relaxed a little too much thus slipping and falling back into the fountain. "I'm cursed I swear!"

Ginny, who was still sitting on him, yelped as he fell back, landing heavily on top of him. "Oh love I'm sorry--" she said, scrambling off of him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he said, pushing himself back up so he was sitting on the stone edge of the fountain again. Frowning, he took a deep breath and all the water just steamed off him, leaving him as dry as he was before. "See?.... Are you okay?"

"Wet. But yes." She made a face, reaching inside her sleeve for her wand. Muttering a spell, she tapped it against her sleeve and steamed briefly. "Much better."

"Aw," he pouted. "I was enjoying the view of that...." Smirking, he tugged her back down onto his lap and nipped at her neck.

She giggled and batted playfully at him. "I bet you were, too."

Grinning, he ran his hands down along her sides and rested them on her hips. "Need any more proof of how much I love you?" His voice was almost a low purr as he breathed softly against her ear.

She giggled at him some more and dropped a kiss on the end of his nose. "Mmm. No."

"I'll show you anyway," he whispered, leaning in to capture her lips in a rough, passionate kiss. One of his hands migrated farther up, to cradle the back of her head as he kissed her, fingers threaded in her hair.

She inhaled sharply and arched her back against him, kissing him hard. "Mmh-- Zuko--" she muttered against his lips.

Pulling back to catch his breath, he then rested his forehead against hers and panted against her lips. "You want to head back and perhaps have a drink or two?"

"Sounds like a good plan," she said, one corner of her mouth lifting in a half-smirk.

BACK AT THE BATCAVE- AKA The Bedroom That Is Made Of Absolute Win- Zuko sat down on his bed and pulled her down on top of him. "I'm still sorry...about before....." He said after a moment of silence.

"It's all right," she said softly, nuzzling his neck. "It's not your fault..."

"It kind of is," he sighed, raking his fingers up and down her back. "You shouldn't have to be put through that sort of thing."

"No." She pressed a kiss against the curve of his shoulder. "You couldn't have known she would be there."

"Shouldn't have given her a reason to be mad..." he frowned. "It's different with you because I don't have to hide anything. Before though..."

"Zuko." She lifted her head and frowned at him, cupping his face with her hands. "It's not your fault, all right? You're acting as though you want me to blame you."

"Perhaps you should?" he glanced away.

She sighed and forced him to look at her. "You have to quit blaming yourself for everything, love," she said quietly.

"But things are my fault," he replied in asmall whine of a sort. "I don't like forcing things upon other people..."

Her expression turned from concerned to exasperated. "Stop being ridiculous," she said, and titled her head up to kiss him gently.

"M'not being ridiculous," he mumbled against her lips, clutching onto the fabric of her tunic.

"Yes you are," she replied, and, exerting some force, pushed him over onto his back and sat on his hips. "What am I going to have to do to get you to stop?"

"I 'unno," he half-shrugged. Most of his attention had begun drifting to certain other parts of his body due to where she had positioned herself.

"Because..." she leaned over, letting her still-damp hair fall over her shoulders. "I have a few ideas, but I'm open to suggestions..." She trailed her fingers along his collarbone as she spoke.

Brain? What brain? Blood stopped flowing there the moment she touched him. "Um... Uh...." And there goes the coherency too!

She smirked. "That's what I thought," she breathed, sliding a hand under his shirt as she leaned down to kiss him.

He groaned softly into the kiss, eagerly slipping his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid around from her back to grope her breasts through the several layers of clothing.

She nipped at his lower lip, digging her nails into his chest. "You can do better than that," she murmured against his lips before kissing him again.

"Mm--" he moaned into the kiss, tugging at the sash around her waist loose and then slipped her tunic up a bit so he could pull at her pants.

She tugged at his shirt until she was able to work it out from under him and off, skimming her hands across his bare chest as she pressed herself closer to him.

He fell back for a moment, panting heavily and peered up at her. Grumbling incoherently, he tried tugging and fumbling with her clothes, frustrated at how complicated they were to remove in this position. "You're going to have to sit up or something."

She pouted, but did as he asked, uncurling herself catlike from his chest to sit on his legs, watching him through heavily-lidded eyes. "And now what?" she asked.

"Hn... Take it off..." he gave her tunic a gentle tug to show what he was talking about. "I can handle the rest."

"And you not even drunk," she said, amused, but stripped the tunic off over her head and tossed it over the side of the bed. "Better?" she asked, smirking at him.

"Much," he replied, sitting up and leaning on one elbow slightly as he pushed her shirt and bra up and took one of her breasts in his mouth.

She sucked in a startled breath, one hand flying up to tangle in his hair and the other dropping to his leg to brace herself.

Eager to please her, he tried different things with his mouth, licking, sucking, nibbling, and the like. Not really having much experience really he had to figure out on his own what it was that she liked. The hand that wasn't keeping himself propped up gripped at her side, nails clawing at her skin.

She moaned and let her head roll back, fingernails digging into his scalp. "Z--Zuko," she stuttered, unable to get the word out properly.

He lowered his mouth to her stomach and licked back up. Face reddening, he peered up at her in a way that seemed as though his eyes asked 'Am I doing okay?'.

She smiled and bent her head to kiss him reassuringly. She certainly wasn't objecting to anything he was doing.

With a bit more confidence, he tugged her shirt off and undid her bra. Licking his lips, he pondered for a moment before sinking his teeth into her shoulder, making a low growling sound as he did so.

She shivered, making a pleased whimpering sound as one of her hands dropped to start working at the fastenings of his pants.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, kissing softly along her collarbone. His hand lowered to grab her hip.

"Zuko..." she whispered, wondering somewhere in the back of her mind how such a simple statement from him could turn her to mush.

He smiled at her but then frowned for a moment when he saw that where he had bit her was starting to form a bruise. "M'sorry...."

"Hush," she said, having no idea what he was talking about. She tilted her head to kiss him again as she finally got his pants undone.

He kissed her back as he wriggled out of his pants as much as he could.

Smirking to herself, she shoved him over onto his back, tugging his pants the rest of the way off and dropping them over the side of the bed. She crawled up him, nipping at his stomach and chest until she could lie flush against him, kissing him hard.

"Oooh yes," he moaned, kissing her back fiercely. As he did so he raked his nails down her back, arching his hips against her.

She purred happily and bit at his lip, grinding her hips against his and shivering again as his nails skimmed along her spine.

Growling, he tore off whatever else she had left on and bit her neck hard. After a while of grinding and nibbling, his low growls turned to pleading whimpers as he writhed wantonly below her.

Feeling rather absurdly pleased with herself, she dug her nails into his sides and kissed him hard, content to let him lead. "Mine," she breathed against his lips.

"Mine," he growled, flipping her over onto her back as he entered her. Then there ws like....rough passionate sex or something. Unless there wasn't, and all of that would've been done for nothing. We'll just say they scored and were happy. Too bad they didn't have any nachos.

Later, Ginny lay snuggled against his side, wrapped in a blanket she had retrieved from the end of the bed. "I love you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"Love you more." he replied, running his hand down along her side, and flashed her a smile.

"Mmm." She smiled back at him. "You're really something else, Zuko," she said quietly, resting her chin against his chest and looking up at him.

"That's a compliment, yes?" he smirked, stroking her hair.

"Yes," she said, amused. "How many people d'you think could've had the sort of childhood you did and still become such a wonderful person, hmm?"

"M'not good," he shook his head. "You just get special treatment."

"You are, she protested, snuggling closer to him.

"Mmm...You're just trying to boost my ego," he pouted.

She shook her head. "It's true. Maybe you don't believe me, but it is."

"No use arguing with you, my dear," he sighed, smiling all the same. The hand on her pulled her even closer to him.

"...I love it when you smile," she said after a moment.

"You give me a reason to," He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad I do," she said, tucking her head under his chin. "You're worth the effort."

"Have I ever told you I think you're the most amazing person ever?" he asked her.

She flushed slightly. "I'm not."

"Yes you are," he nodded. "Don't deny it."

"How d'you figure?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"You love me," he told her. "Despite how much of an ass I am. And you're the only person I trust enough to..."

"To what?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Be like this with," he made a vague gesture. "M'not exactly a wordly, mastered person."

She gave him a slightly wobbly smile. "See, you are so a sweetheart," she whispered.

"Stop flattering me," he pouted. "I don't deserve it."

"You do," she insisted. "If for no other reason than you love me."

"I love you so much it hurts," he whispered, holding her tightly.

Her expression went wobbly again, and she responded by leaning up and kissing him softly.

He kissed her back, lightly trailing his hands down her spine.

"Love you," she murmured, breaking the kiss and smiling at him.

"Love you too," he nodded, smiling back at her and blinked sleepily.

She laid her head back down on his chest, tugging the blanket out from underneath her to tuck one side of it around Zuko. "G'night, my love," she said.

"Night," he replied in a soft whisper, already mostly asleep, and snuggled against her before finally just letting himself drift off.


	11. Chapter 10

Ginny Apparated into the palace, a bag with several varieties of coffee in it over one shoulder.

Zuko, who had just snapped shut his laptop and got up to go down the hall, stopped short and peered over his shoulder with a small smile. "Hello."

She smiled back and crossed the room to him. "Hallo, love," she said, dropping her bag on the floor and wrapping her arms around him.

"Mm," he murmured softly and tilted his head to kiss her on the cheek. "How've you been?"

"Good... not doing much. Missed you." She smiled up at him again.

"Missed you more," he said then glanced to the bag she dropped. "Coffee?"

"Several kinds," she said, bending to pick the bag up again and handing it over to him. "I didn't know what you'd want."

"Oooo," he opened the bag and peered inside, grinning. "Thanks."

"I picked good ones, then?" she asked, grinning.

"Oh yes," he nodded, then dropped the bag so he could pull her in for a tight embrace. "I'll quite enjoy it."

"Mmm, good." Still smiling, she slid her hands into his pockets and pulled him closer to her.

Chuckling softly, he cupped her face with both hands and kissed her softly on the lips. "Love you," he whispered.

She gave a contented sigh and kissed him back. "Love you more," she murmured.

Smiling, he pulled back and motioned for her to follow him. "I have something for you."

"Ooh, yes, you said! What's my surprise?" she asked, taking his hand as she followed him.

"You'll see, he said, leading her down the corridor to his bedroom. "In here." He opened the door and sat her on the bed while he went to dig through his closet.

Ginny bounced up and down a bit on the bed. "Zuko you know I'm not good at waiting," she said, and flopped over onto her stomach, propping her head up on her hands.

"Got it," he said and came back out with a dress. It was a black cheongsam with a gold and red dragon and phoenix pattern on it. "Here you go."

Her eyes lit up and she sat back up again. "Oh Zuko that's beautiful," she gasped.

"I was hoping you'd like it," he smiled brightly. "Saw it when I was wandering the market and thought of you in it...."

"Oh it's gorgeous," she said, climbing off the end of the bed. "Here, let me try it on..."

"Alright," he nodded, stepping back to allow her room.

She wriggled backwards out of her dress robes and slid into the cheongsam. "Zip me up?" she asked Zuko, spinning around.

"Okay," he nodded, taking the zipper and tugged it up until it was closed. "Let me see."

She pulled her hair out of the collar of the dress and turned to face him, smoothing the fabric down over her hips. "What d'you think?"

Blushing, he took a moment to glance her up and down before gently grabbing her waist to pull her in close. "Beautiful," he whispered, lightly brushing his lips against her neck.

She smiled and slid her arms around him, tucking her head down in the curve of his shoulder. "You think?"

"You're always beautiful," he told her, letting his hands wander down her waist to her hips.

She looked back up at him. "You're sweet," she said softly, reaching up to tuck a lock of his hair behind one ear.

"Only because I love you so much," he told her, sitting down on the bed while pulling her onto his lap.

"Well, that's good," she said, smiling, "because I do believe I am madly in love with you."

Slowly, he trailed soft warm kisses along her neck and collar up to her ear. "Mine," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe.

She nodded against his neck, smile widening slightly. "Yours," she agreed.

"Hey.... Um...." he murmured softly. "I have to tell you something...."

"What's that?" she asked, pressing her lips to the curve of his jaw.

"Um.... I'm going somewhere tomorrow..." he chuckled nervously, trailing his hands up and down her back.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That's good."

"Um... Going with Sasuke...." he pressed his lips against her forehead and mumbled. "Toastripbar...."

"Sweetheart, you're going to have to separate your words if you want me to understand you," she informed him.

He bit his lip, his cheeks reddening. "Uh...." He gave her a rather awkward, sheepish expression. "We're kinda-sorta going to -- erm -- going to a strip bar...." Quickly he shot his hands up in surrender. "Just doing a guy thing, nothing against you..."

She blinked. "All right."

"...." He then blinked several times, surprised. "You're not mad?"

"Not so long as you come back to me," she said. "You need your guy-time."

"Of course," he said softly, kissing her behind her ear. "You're the only one that I want."

She lifted a hand to nudge his chin up so she could brush her lips across his. "Go have fun with Sasuke, love. I don't mind."

"You sure?" he kissed her back. "If you really don't mind..."

"Promise I don't," she said, kissing him briefly again.

"Thank you," he nodded, scooting ack a bit, taking her along with him so she could lay on him if she so wished. "...Anything you want to do while you're here or do you just want to cuddle?"

She stretched out on his chest, reaching up to play with his hair. "Did you have something in mind?" she asked, a smirk curving her lips.

"Not really," he shook his head, smiling at her. "We could go out somewhere, if you wanted to.... Or I could just make a random fire and watch you giggle and point at it for an hour."

"Funny," she said sarcastically, though she smiled. "I'm happy just staying here with you."

"Mmm..." Zuko murmured softly, fiddling with the collar of her dress. "I like it when you're with me."

She smiled, catching his hand and playing with it as she looked up at him. "I love you."

"Love you too," he whispered, pressing kissing the top of her head. Sighing softly, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Don't think I could ever stop."

"Please don't," she whispered back, snuggling against his chest as he hugged her.

"I promise, I won't," he held her tighter. "I love you too much... Can't imagine living without you."

"Oh, Zuko..." She lifted her head to kiss him, feeling tears welling in her eyes.

"Don't cry...." He frowned, bringing his hand up to stop the tears. "It's alright..."

She smiled and kissed him again. "I'm happy," she said softly.

"I have something else, for you," he said after a moment. "It's in a drawer. Shall I go get it?"

"Okay," she agreed, reluctantly climbing off of him.

Smirking, he crawled up along the bed to the side-table and opened the drawer. "Here it is," he said when he pulled something small out of it. It was a cocoon of some sort, a very dark shade of greenish-blue with light yellow spots. "I found it in the garden the other day. Thought you might like it."

She blinked. "...What is it?"

"A chrysalis," he told her, taking her hand and placing the small object in it, then closed her fingers around it. "In some time, it will be a butterfly."

"Won't I hurt it?" she said uncertainly.

"I don't think so," he shook his head and smiled. "Not if you have patience and give it the space it needs to grow and hatch. Right now it's sleeping and waiting for the right time. But when it does decide to show itself to the world, I can assure you it will be the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. ...Just make sure you leave it some flowers to eat." He then added with a wink.

She looked down at the cocoon, blinking back unexpected tears. "Thank you," she said finally, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'll be sure to keep it safe."

"It makes me happy when I see you smile," he whispered, and then cupped her face with one hand as he leaned in a bit for a deep kiss.

She exhaled slowly as she kissed him back, smiling against his lips.

"I love you," he said softly when he pulled back from the kiss. "I wish there was more I could do to show it."

"You don't need to," she assured him, shaking her head. "I believe you."

"I can give you anything and everything you could ever need or want," he told her, looking into her eyes. "You know that, right?"

"I know." She smiled at him.

"I don't think I could ever stop loving you so much," he murmured softly, nuzzling against her neck. "...and you look amazing in that dress. It fits you well."

She reached over his shoulder and put the cocoon on the nightstand, not wanting to crush it when she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up against his chest. "You picked a good one."

"Perhaps it was my heart that made the choice," he said softly, sliding an arm around her waist to pull her even closer against him.

Her smile wobbled a bit as she started to tear up again. "Sometimes I swear you're a bigger sap than I am," she murmured, hiding her face in his chest.

"Would you rather I act like a macho pimp and treat you like dirt?" he frowned.

"Of course not," she said, tucking her head up under his chin and nuzzling her nose into his neck. "It's cute, is all."

"I'm not 'cute'," he pouted. "I'm manly."

"Mmm." She reached up and ran her fingers along his collarbone where it showed above his shirt. "Cute."

He pouted at her some more, his bottom lip sticking out a bit.

She lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him, brushing a thumb across his lips. "Sulking, are we?"

"M'not sulking," he pouted more so, looking like a sad puppy.

"Yes, you are," she said mildly, sliding the hand on his face up to cup his cheek.

"You called me cute," he said softly before leaning in to brush a light kiss against her lips.

"'Cause you are," she replied teasingly, kissing him back.

"Yeah...well..." he tried to form a proper statement. "You're sexy..." Smirking, he pressed his lips against her neck.

She giggled at him. "Well, I am a model."

"You're so modest," he said sarcastically, snickering at her.

"Realistic," she corrected him, amused.

"Uh huh, sure," he grinned, then leaned in a bit to nip at her neck.

"You don't sound like you believe me," she purred, twisting her hands into his hair.

"Cause I don't," he said, pushing her back down on the bed as he crawled on top of her. "It's okay to be immodest sometimes..." he murmured, kissing along her jawline. "Cause you're my bad little girl, right?"

She grinned wickedly up at him. "You know I am."

"Mm... Naughty girl..." he whispered in her ear then blew in it softly. "I spoil you rotten with all the attention I give you..." His tongue flicked out to lick behind her ear and he nipped at the lobe.

"Mmm... it's because you like to hear me scream," she said, still grinning as she slid a hand down his stomach to run her fingers along the waist of his pants.

"Oh you know I do babe..." he said, growling softly as he placed soft kisses along her jaw then bit into her neck. While his right hand braced him on the bed, his left slid down along her chest and stomach to the slit in the dress, which he pushed up a bit so he could stroke her thigh.

"Make me scream, Zuko," she breathed in his ear, simultaneously sliding her hand down the front of his pants and squeezing him slightly.

"I'll make you do more than that..." he whispered, his face flushing. Biting his lip, he looked into her eyes for a moment before capturing her lips in a rough kiss, sliding her dress up farther so her could tug her undergarments down and spread her legs.

She kissed him back with equal force, digging the nails of her free hand into his scalp, the other squeezing him again as she bit down hard on his lower lip.

Zuko murmured when she bit his lip, then slipped his tongue into her mouth. All the while he somehow managed to work himself out of his pants and slammed into her as hard as he could. He'd learned his lesson about being gentle with her when it came to things like this.

She yowled, arching her back instinctively against him. Her hands slid up under his shirt to rake her fingernails down his back as she ground her hips against his.

"That's my girl..." he chuckled, nibbling along her jaw and neck as he thrust hard into her. "Fucking scream for me."

"Faster," she snarled in response. She slung a leg up over his hips, trying to draw him in deeper.

He moaned, lifting her hips a bit so he could get a better angle as he thrust faster and deeper into her, trying to find that spot he made her cry out for him. "Like that...?"

He got what he wanted a moment later when she threw back her head and screamed, her fingernails digging hard into his shoulderblades.

"You feel so good..." he groaned, slamming as hard as he possibly could without tearing her apart. "So hot and wet..." He ran his tongue along her neck and sunk his teeth into her throat.

Far past rational thought, she cried out again when his teeth dug into her skin. "Zuko..." she moaned, her voice breaking halfway through the word.

"Ginny..." he moaned in response, clawing at her as he felt himself near release. He lifted her a little more, pushing her knees back as he got as deep as he could possibly get himself.

She screamed again as she came, her entire body going stiff for an instant, her nails digging deeper into his skin.

His mouth opened and closed for a silent cry as a shiver racked his body at the sound of her scream and the feel of her stiffen and clench around him. This brought him over the edge, kissing her fiercely on the mouth as he came, forcing himself deep in her so not a single bit of his essence would escape her.

She kissed him back, sighing contentedly against his lips as her body relaxed. "Mmm... love you," she murmured.

"Love you too," he panted, sliding out of her so he could lay beside her and hold her close to him. Humming contentedly, he kissed the side of her neck.

She smiled at him, pulling her hands out of his shirt and lifting one to cup his cheek. "You do spoil me," she said coyly.

"I give you everything you could ever want and then some," he grinned, peering into her eyes lovingly as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Yes, you do," she replied, her expression going serious. "I'm glad I have you."

"You'll always have me," he said, smiling. "Forever."

She closed her eyes and snuggled up against hin, smiling again. "I like the sound of that."

"I'm so happy to have you," he whispered after he tugged his pants back up and wrapped an arm around her. "You mean the world to me, my love."

"And you to me," she said, opening her eyes again to meet his gaze. "But would you be terribly offended --" she yawned. "If I fell asleep?"

"Not at all," he smirked. "I'd be honored to be your pillow." Zuko kissed her forehead and cuddled up close to her, letting her head rest against his chest.

Moments later her eyes fluttered closed and she was sound asleep witth her head on his chest, fingers resting curled next to her face.

"Good night my love," he whispered, then snapped his fingers to turn off all the lights at once.


	12. Chapter 11

A loud crack sounded as Zuko appeared in the living room of Ginny's flat. His eyes were nearly bloodshot red, face paler than mormal, and it wasn't hard to tell that the last few days for him had been anything but pleasant. "I'm here," he announced, not sure where she was. While waiting for her he rummaged around his pockets for something.

Ginny, who had just gotten out of the shower after Light left, heard him call her and threw on her robe. She ran out into the living room and hesitated for a moment before throwing her arms around him. "Oh thank gods," she murmured into his chest.

"Something the matter?" he asked softly as he timidly wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head.

"I was worried about you," she said softly, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he told her, pulling her in closer. "Just had to deal with a lot is all."

"I know." She looked up at him. "What happened? You said you'd tell me when you got here..."

"Yeah," he nodded, leading her to the couch. Sighing softly, he sat down beside her. "Mind if I?" he asked, showing her a pack of cigarettes he had and a lighter.

She raised an eyebrow as he sat down, curling up against his side. "No. Just don't let me have any. What d'you need a lighter for?"

"Oh..." he said, glancing down at the lighter. He'd gotten it so he wouldn't have to bend in public places that weren't his own world. "Right," he nodded, hastily shoving it back in his pocket. Something major must have hapened to make him just be so...off. Smirking, he popped out a cigarette and snapped his fingers to light it. After taking a deep drag he looked at her. "Life sucks."

She snuggled closer to him, pressing her lips to his neck. "Tell me what happened, my love," she said softly.

"Whatshisass, the fuckwit who got himself whipped by Azula, tried to trick me to take the city back. Tried to use a letter from 'Father' to bait me into being arrested." There was a pause as he took another drag and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. "Managed to escape without much difficulty, it was just a pain in the ass to knock out I don't know how many guards he had there... Clothes are still stained..." Eyes opening again, he licked his lips. "Though I'm fortunate Mai and Ty Lee weren't dumb enough to go along with it... Actually, it was Mai who tended to my wounds after I showed that jackass I'm not one to be messed with. Everything's fine now, so you don't have to worry."

"...Oh," she said quietly, not sure how to respond. It had to have hurt him, but he was brushing it off so casually... and she really needed to meet this Mai girl.

"It's no big deal, really. I've dealt with worse," he shrugged. "Decided to pay Light a visit earlier too..." It took a great deal of willpower not to a)say anything insulting and b)burst out into a fit of snickering. Keeping his calm, he took another drag. "He's not so bad..."

"So I heard," she said dryly, sitting up a bit as she remembered her annoyance with him. "I also heard you pulled a knife on him."

"Rather I just torch him?" he smirked.

"I seem to recall having a conversation with you wherein you told me you'd make an effort to be more civil to him," she said, her voice icy. "Neither setting him on fire nor threatening him with a knife counts as 'civil.'"

"Wasn't actually going to hurt him or anything..." he rolled his eyes. "Just trying to show him that if he tried anything I could kick his ass."

"And what makes you think I'm okay with that?" she asked sharply, sitting up and glaring at him now.

"Didn't think you would be anyway," he shrugged. "Though it would've been an added bonus if you were."

"...Does it not bother you in the slightest that it hurts me when you can't even respect me enough to do me as small a favour as not setting my best friend on fire?" Ginny snapped at him.

"It's not like that!" he retorted, bristling slightly. "If I was really out to get the fucker I would've done him in already. Ever thought about that, princess?"

She blinked at him for a moment, taken aback. "...why are you acting like this?" she asked finally, her voice low.

After a long sigh, he brought his hand to his face--the one not holding the cigarette--and massaged his temple. "I'm sorry, babe. I've just been in a really irritable mood for the past couple of days."

She bit her lip and reached out to push his hair back so she could see his face. "Zuko... I love you, but I mean it, this has to stop."

"I'll have to try harder I guess..." he sighed again, dropping his hand to rest on her thigh. "Told you when we first started... I'm not good at this sort of thing at all. Already lost my mother... My whole country has me branded as a traitor.... I love you so much, Ginny. Which is why I fight so hard for us.... If I were to lose you...." His voice trailed off and he closed his eyes, fighting back tears that came from starting to think about the pain it would cause.

She sighed, deciding to drop the subject for the time being, and crawled over to wrap herself around him. "I will always love you," she whispered fiercely, knowing that no matter what else happened, that much would be true.

"Ow," he hissed, wincing as he gripped tightly onto her. "Mm... Sorry... Got some bruises..."

She instantly loosened her grip. "Oh -- love -- where?"

"Uh..." he thought for a moment, checking himself out. "Here..." he pointed to his shoulder. "Here." His left collarbone. "Here." Several spots along his ribcage. "And here, here, here too." He pointed to his abdomen, his lower back, and his forearm. "No big deal, really. Just hurts a little."

"Zuko..." she whispered, shocked. "My god. Here, take your shirt off, let me see."

Nodding, Zuko wriggled a bit as he tugged his shirt over his head, balled it up and tossed it to the floor. All over his arms and torso, what wasn't wrapped in dirtying bandages, was covered in dark bruises. "Rocks hurt."

"Oh my god," she whispered again, feeling tears stinging her eyes. She reached out and brushed her fingers along his chest and arms, feeling as though she should do something but having no idea what.

"It's alright," he said softly to assure her, kissing her forehead. "Looks a million times worse than it actually is. Hardly feel anything." Wasn't really true, it did hurt like a bitch, but he'd suffered worse in the past so it wasn't all that big of a deal to him. It was just how long it'd take to fully heal that was irksome.

She cast him a doubtful look. "I don't belive you."

"It's fine, really," he dropped a kiss to the bridge of her nose. "Don't worry about it. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes, it was lovely," she said dismissively. "Zuko, really. You look terrible."

He frowned slightly. Why didn't she ever want to talk to him about what she was doing? If he didn't have so much trust in her, he would've suspected she was hiding something. "I know, I know. But it's fine, really it is. Please, don't worry about it." A soft sigh. "...Why won't you ever really talk to me about anything?"

She frowned at him. "What d'you mean? I talk to you all the time."

"Yeah, but, you never really talk about yourself. What little I do know I practically had to force out of you," he pouted. "I feel terrible because I don't want this to be all about my problems. I love you enough that I want to know all of you. Not just your body and how you feel about me. I don't even know your favorite flavor of ice cream. Talk about sad. I'm a terrible boyfriend."

"...Oh." She thought about this for a moment, tucking herself gingerly up against his side. "I don't mean to. I just don't really talk about myself all that often, I suppose." She looked up at him, contrite. "What d'you want to know? Ask me anything."

"Well...." he thought about it for a moment. "What's your favorite thing to do?"

"You?" she said, and giggled. "No... I don't know. That's an awfully broad question."

He chuckled softly, running his fingertips gently up and down along her side. "Is there anywhere you've always wanted to go?"

"New York," she said instantly. "All the museums, and shopping, and theatre..."

"Really?" he smiled, eyes lighting up for a moment. "I could take you there, if you wanted."

She brightened. "Really?"

"Of course," he nodded, smiling. "I'd love to take you anywhere you'd like to go."

She smiled back at him. "For now, I am more than happy to stay right here and hold on to you."

"That's so sweet...." he beamed, wrapping an arm around her a bit more, ignoring the fact a couple bruises were going OW OW OW at him. Thinking some more, he took another long drag and let it out. "Are you into sport at all?"

"Oh I know you've heard me ramble about Quidditch," Ginny said, blinking. "I play Chaser and Seeker. I was on the House team for a few years, too."

"Oh," his eyes brightened. "That's right! How come you don't play anymore? Afraid you'll break a nail?" He then smirked around the cigarette he brought back to his lips.

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically, though her expression was amused. "No -- there's not any non-professional teams around here that still need players, and apparently the pickup league Sirius was putting together never went anywhere, so--" She shrugged. "I'll play with my brothers and Harry sometimes at family gatherings, but that's about it, really."

"There weren't many sports back home," Zuko shrugged. "As kids we'd kick a ball around or shoot fire or something. The girls liked to do flips and cartwheels. Nothing fancy or organized.... I saw this thing on the internet. Called 'curling.' I want to try it." His face looked serious, determined. Why he was so interested in curling the world would never know. Same as how may licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Rolls center of a Tootsie Pop. It will remain a mystery forever.

"...You do that, love," she said, patting his knee. Smile and nod.

"I will," he said with a sly smirk, pointing the cigarette at her. "And it will be awesome."

"I believe you," she replied, doing her best to keep her expression serious.

"You can laugh, babe," he chuckled, flicking away an ash as he did so. "I do happen to have a sense of humor."

She stuck her tongue out at him, smiling. "Don't get ash on my carpet."

"I won't," he nodded seriously, rubbing off the end with his tumb. "I can just bend the crap. No worries."

"Okay." She snuggled up against him again. "Ask me another, this is fun."

"Hm..." This one took him longer to think of. "Uh....paper or plastic?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment before bursting into giggles. "What?"

"Like...at the store. Do you like paper bags or plastic?" he shrugged.

"...I don't know. You are so strange," she said, still giggling.

"You love me, admit it," he grinned, then looked down at his cigarette. "It's almost gone...." Pout. "Anyways," His expression brightened again. "I like plastic. Paper rips." He was very serious about this too.

"I do," she agreed, deciding to ignore the rest of his comment for the sake of tilting her head up and kissing him softly. "I'm head over heels in love with you..."

"I love you more," he replied, kissing her back, lowering the hand with the cigarette so he could put it out on his leg. "Love you more than you'll ever know..."

"I feel so lucky," she said softly, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

"I'm luckier to have someone as beautiful, and wonderful as you," he told her, letting one of his hands caress her thigh. While they were talking he relaxed a bit, color slowly returning to his face. She seemed to have that sort of calming effect on him. It was as if their whole relationship was a heaven and hell for him all molded into one entity.

"Oh, Zuko," she whispered, her hand stilling on the side of his face. "Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?"

"Mind giving me a hint?" he smiled, looking into her eyes.

"...I don't know that I have the skill to put it into words," she said. After a moment a smile spread across her face. "I love waking up next to you in the morning. I love that you know me better than anyone else... I love all the little things you do to show me that you care. I love it when you tell me you love me."

"And I...." Cigarette just went bye-bye as he gently pushed her back on the couch and hovered over her. "Love cuddling next to you. I love it when you laugh and smile. I love having you beside me. I love making love with you and only you. And I love hearing you whisper you love me when I'm so very close to you...." He dropped soft kisses along her neck.

She reached up and pulled him down next to her, melting. "I love you," she whispered into the side of his neck. "I love you so much..."

"I love you so much I'd die without you..." he whispered back, his hand sliding up along her stomach. A pause. "...You're not naked under that are you?"

"Want to find out?" she asked in a low voice, smiling against his shoulder.

"Mmm..." he purred. "Perhaps I do."

"It's up to you," she said, smirking slightly. "Though I'd be happy to just lay here and snuggle, if you'd rather."

"Snuggle naked? Best of both?" he chuckled, trying to tug her robe off.

"Mmm. I like that idea. Even better--" she sat up and climbed off the couch, tugging him with her. "Snuggle naked in my bed. It's more comfortable."

"Okay," he smiled as he was dragged along to the bedroom, wrestling out of his four-inch platform boots in the process. Why he wore them one wouldn't know. Considering they made him well over six feet tall.

When she entered her room Ginny started folding down the covers of the bed, waiting -- it was more fun when Zuko undressed her than when she did it herself. "Can you stay til morning?" she asked him.

"If you want me to," he nodded, then tore off his loose-fitting black tanktop before working on the belt of his leather pants. "I want to stay in this world for a while anyway. Sasuke thinks I should get a car." Zuko smiled when he got himself undressed and climbed into bed.

"I always want you to," she said, watching him for a moment before giving up and shrugging out of her bathrobe, letting it drop to the floor. "What d'you need a car for?" she asked as she crawled into the bed next to him.

"I want to drive," he said very seriously, tugging her closer to him. "It looks fascinating."

"Mmm," she agreed, snuggling up against him and enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. "I like cars. Especially when they go fast."

"The kind I'm looking at go really fast," he nodded, nuzzling against her. "I want to take Sasuke around in it to help him pick up chicks. He's a very attractive boy, I'm sure all the little ninja girls would go nuts if he showed up in a hot ride."

She giggled and pressed her lips to his shoulder. "Let's not talk about Sasuke, hmm?"

"Then what shall we talk about, my dear?" He murmured, letting one of his hands wander up and down along her side.

She shivered at his touch. "I don't know..." Her eyes closed as she tucked herself against him. "You're warm and nice for cuddling."

"I could make myself even warmer," he whispered, smiling as his hand rested on her hip.

"Mmkay..." she murmured.

"Let me show you..." He purred and took in a deep breath. The palm on her hip heated up slowly and he ran his hand up along her side, around to rub against her back, and then to her front again where he splayed his fingers across her breastbone and let the heat stay there.

She gave a contented sigh as warmth suffused her body. "That feels good," she said softly, reaching up to twine her fingers through his.

"Want me to put it anywhere else?" he whispered in her ear.

"'f you want..." she replied, half-asleep already.

Smirking, he lowered his heated hand to between her legs and pressed in slightly. "You...like that?"

She jumped, her eyes snapping open. "Zuko..." she said, a slight smirk spreading across her face.

"What?" he jumped too, slightly startled, pulling his hand back as well.

"Mmm..." her eyes drifted shut again and she tucked her head down into the curve of his neck. "Surprised me..."

"M'sorry..." he murmured. "I just like touching you..."

"S'okay." She kissed his shoulder. "Love you..."

"Love you too," he whispered, letting his hand go back down to where it was once more.

She made a pleased sound and relaxed against him, one hand resting lightly against his chest.

Smirking, he pulled his hand back and licked his fingers. "You're the most beautiful person in the world, y'know that?"

One eye slitted open and she offered him a small smile. "I'm not. But you're sweet for saying it."

"You are," he said, kissing behind her ear. "Every last bit of you is."

She opened her other eye and looked at him. "If you won't believe me when I tell you you're attractive... I don't have to believe you when you tell me I am."

"That's because you are attractive and I'm not," he told her, giving her rear end a good squeeze to get his point across.

"Well, I think you are," she said, smiling.

"Awww thanks babe," he smiled back at her and kissed her cheek. "Know what'd be really nice?"

"What's that?" she asked.

Chuckling, he tugged on her so she was sitting on top of him and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "There. I'm at your mercy. Do to me what you will, my queen." He grinned.

She smiled at him and leaned over to lay against his chest, her hair sliding over her shoulders as she tilted her head to kiss him softly.

He kissed her back, leaning into it to deepen it the best he could from his position.

She twisted a hand into his long hair, content for now keep the kiss fairly chaste.

Kissing her tenderly, he pulled his hands out from behind him to hold onto her shoulders.

She smiled against his lips, sliding her other hand up to brush her fingertips along his cheekbone. "Love you," she whispered when she broke the kiss, still smiling at him.

"Love you too," he whispered back and tilted his head slightly so his forehead rested against hers. "More than anything."

She closed her eyes, her nose brushing against his as her smile widened slightly. "I am so glad I have you," she said softly.

"I wouldn't want anyone else in the world," he replied, letting one of his hands slide up to cup her face.

She leaned into his touch, still smiling. "I am so in love with you," she said. "I know I've said it a million times, but..."

"Shh I know..." he murmured, smiling, placing his fingers on her lips. "And I never get tired of hearing it either."

She opened her eyes, regarding him seriously. "Zuko... you know that whatever happens, I will always, always love you, right? Nothing can change that."

"..." His hand fell from her face and dropped to the bed so he could brace himself as he sat up slightly, giving her a very worried look. "...W-What are you getting at...?"

"Nothing really," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "I just want to make sure you know how much I love you." She wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to the edge of his scar.

"Don't scare me like that..." he whispered, holding onto her tightly. After sighing, he kissed along her shouder and rested his head there as he held her. Breathing heavily, a few small tears welled in his eyes. "I love you too much... Don't want to lose you...ever."

"I'm sorry." She placed several kisses along his hairline. "I don't want to lose you, either."

"You're the only person who has ever made me this happy," he told her, letting his eyes drift closed for a moment.

"I'm glad I can do that for you," she said, lifting an arm to run her fingers through his hair.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck and nuzzled against her, sighing softly. "You make me fell like I'm worth something."

"You are worth something," Ginny protested. "I just wish you could see that."

"I can't see what's not there," Zuko said softly. "I have nothing, I am nothing. All I've got is you. And yet...that's enough to keep me content for an eternity."

"You aren't nothing," she said stubbornly. "Zuko, we've had this conversation a thousand times. And you--" her voice broke. "You do have me..."

"I want to have you forever," he said, and then shifted himself slightly so he could turn his upper body. "See?" He pointed to the back of his right shoulder.

She blinked, running her fingers across the fresh tattoo on his back. "What's it say?"

"It's your name," he told her with a smile.

She fell silent, not knowing what to say, instead tracing the letters with the tip of a finger.

"I love you...and I wanted a way for you to be a part of me..." he said. "Always."

Instead of responding she bent her head and pressed her lips over the ink, leaving a lingering kiss on his shoulder.

"Hey...." he said after a moment, his voice low. "There's a few things I think I should tell you."

"...Like what?" she asked, looking up, a troubled expression on her face.

"It's of no real importance now," he told her, petting her like a favorite cat, and flashed her a small smile. "But... During that awkward, slightly-angry time during that fight we had... Actually it may have been just before, when I was really, really, upset with you.... I went out with Aang, as you know because I told you....and I slept with him." His voice lowered even more when he hit that last phrase and he glanced away, the strong sense of guilt clearly showing on his face.

She let go of him, sitting back a bit. She wasn't sure how to react to this. "...You did."

"Yeah...." His voice cracked slightly. "I was just really...really upset and angry and confused and all I wanted to do then was something for myself, to get back at you for hurting me..... Wasn't thinking.... I feel terrible... Been haunting me ever since...."

"...And you shouted at me about cheating on you," she whispered, not looking at him.

"I only did it once and that was after I found out about you..." His eyes narrowed for an instant before he gave up with a sigh. "You're the only one I look at."

She opened her mouth to retort and thought better of it. "Let's not argue about that again. Please." It would be beyond hypocritical of her to push him away, so instead she put her arms around him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for telling me," she said softly.

"I don't like hiding things from you," he said, nuzzling against her. "There's something else too... Not really related but it's something you ought to know..."

"What's that?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

"When the girls and I were tending to our injuries," he paused then to take a deep breath. "Mai actually talked to me...Which, well, she hadn't really done since I was banished. So it was kind of a shock. She knows about us thanks to Ty Lee and what she's...heard around. She sounded upset about it, I'm not sure why. Well, her tone was as flat as ever, but I just got that feeling that she was angry.... Not sure if that makes sense. Anyway, she also thinks I'm an idiot for being with you. That I shouldn't get myself involved with things that are out of control." He sighed heavily. "It's stupid, I know. She shouldn't have a say in anything. But I listened because, well, I hadn't heard her voice in so many years... You know?"

"...What are you saying?" Ginny asked after a moment, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"I knew her when we were kids..." he explained, glancing away for a moment. "She'd always been pretty quiet. Though when she did have something to say she was either stating the obvious or it was something really important. But I think she's wrong about this... I trust you. She just doesn't know you the way I do. But I don't get why...why..." He bit his lip then, silencing himself.

"Zuko... what did she say to you exactly?" she asked, feeling as though there was something he was trying to tell her that she wasn't grasping, and hating it.

"She kissed me," he said, his voice breaking again with the shame of the confession. "And said she hopes I live the rest of my life without regret for my mistakes. I don't understand what that means or why should say that... Then she just left... I don't understand..." He balled up, like a scared turtle. "I hate myself."

She froze for a moment, outraged -- not at Zuko, but at Mai for having the audacity to think-- She reached out and wrapped herself around Zuko, tangling her limbs with his. "Don't say that," she begged him, her voice low. "Don't ever say that. There is no reason for you to hate yourself."

"I can't help how I feel," he said softly, hugging her. "I know I'm so in love with you I'd die without you... I don't care what anybody says or what anyone else thinks... You're the only person made for me."

"So then she doesn't matter," she said fiercely, holding him as tightly as she could. "Zuko..." She bit her lip. After a moment she lay back down, pulling him with her until she was holding him cradled against her chest, his legs woven with hers. "You are mine," she whispered. "And I love you."

"Just like you're mine," he replied in a low, heated tone, kissing her softly on the lips. "And I love you."

She kissed him back, sighing happily as her hands went up to cup his cheeks.

"I think about you every day," he whispered, pressing a warm hand against her shoulder, heating her up as he did so.

She smiled broadly, tugging him back down to lay next to her. "You're wonderful."

"You're wonderful," he replied with a smile, running his hand down her stomach.

She snuggled into his side, closing her eyes. "...Zuko?" she asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.

"Yeah?" He raised a brow at her.

She opened her eyes again and looked up at him. "I hate to bring this up again..." she began hesitantly. "But... about you going to see Light, earlier..."

"I know you don't like him, but he is my best friend... Can you maybe just try ignoring him?" she asked beseechingly. "It bothers me that the two of you are always feuding over something."

"I'll ignore him when he pulls that stick out of his fucking ass," Zuko snapped, frowning and crossing his arms across his chest. "But yeah, I'll ignore him like the little fucking speck in my life that he is."

"Zuko, please," she said, clearly unhappy. "I mean it, it hurts that neither of you is even willing to try, even just for my sake."

"I can try," he said after a long moment of silence. "But that's all I really can do. Sometimes people just can't get along, babe."

"I know," she said. "So just pretend he's not even there, or something, I don't know, I just don't like seeing you fight."

"Fine," he agreed, but his tone held bitterness to it. "I'll think of something." Still a bit annoyed at the fact it had to be brought up again, he slunk down and did the turtle thing again. In fact, if he were an animal he'd probably be a snapping turtle. A snapping turtle that breathed fire. Which would've been awesome, by the way.

She chewed on her lip for a moment. She could tell she'd upset him. "Thank you," she said softly, running a hand down his arm and twining her fingers with his. "I'm going to say the same thing to him, too, so don't think it's just you getting yelled at."

"Glad to know you're an equal opportunist," he said slyly, then flipped over a bit so he was on top of her. "Spank him too, I bet he'd like that."

"Zuko," she said, her tone scolding, though she didn't mean it.

"What?" he shrugged.

"I know you're not serious," she said, reaching up to tug playfully on his hair.

"I'm not," he replied with a smirk, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "But what if I was?"

"Mmm, well." She smirked back. "You know I like it rough."

"You can spank me too if you'd like," he grinned, wiggling his butt a little.

She pulled on his hair again, giggling. "Or I could just leave you hanging."

"No...." he whined softly, pouting. "Please don't."

Her expression softened. "How about if for tonight you just hold me and I tell you I love you a million times?"

"I'd like that..." he purred, nuzzling against her neck. "As long as I can touch you."

"Sounds like a deal," she said, pulling him down next to her and curling up against his chest. "Mmm. Love you."

"Love you too," he whispered, trailing his hand down her shoulder, along her side, and then rested it on her hip.

Ginny gave a catlike yawn and closed her eyes, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "G'night, lover."

"M'night..." he replied, closing his eyes and snuggling up against her, letting her fall asleep in his arms... Where he felt she will forever belong.


	13. Chapter 12

Ginny Apparated into the throne room, wearing the same black dress robes she had last time. "...Zuko, what in the world are you doing on the floor?" she asked, spotting her boyfriend sprawled out on the ground.

"I'm escaping," he replied, scraping his nails loudly as he waved his arms up and down along the hard floor. "Shhhh.... She'll hear you."

"Escaping." She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he sat up slightly and nodded. "Excaping."

Somewhere in the palace, a very pink contortionist's EARS perked and eyes snapped open, and a creepy grin slithered across her face. "I can heeaaar you, Zuukoo," she whispered to herself, in a sing-song voice.

In the throne room, Ginny crouched down to get closer to Zuko's eye level. "And you feel the need to escape because...?"

"She'll get me," he told her, sounding very paranoid. "No more. No more pink, no more sparkles, no more auras, no more what I did all week because I couldn't find anybody and the Dai Lee are boring, NO MORE."

"...Uh-huh," she agreed uncertainly, fairly positive that he was going quite mad... from the isolation?

Quite mad he was, however Ty Lee was no figment of Zuko's imagination. In fact, she chose that very minute to drop down from some random pillar (which she'd climbed randomly because she felt like it???) and land on Zuko's... back. "FOUND YOU!"

SMASH. Zuko's face met the floor, which didn't happen to be the first time that day either. "Ginny meet Ty Lee, the horrible thing I've been trying to get away from." His voice was muffled by the marble floor.

Ginny, who had tipped over backwards in startlement, stood up quickly and stared at the pink-clad woman. "...Hallo. Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Ty Lee!" She exclaimed, pointing to herself matter-of-factly. "Azula's best friend!"

Frowning, Zuko rubbed the back of his head. "What she said. And I'm NOT PLAYING WITH YOU, Ty Lee. I'm trying to work here!"

"Yes, I had heard," Ginny said dryly, and bent to help Zuko up. "You all right, then, love?"

"Work?" She squinted and looked rather pensive for a moment, before the moment passed and the usual loopy smile returned to her face. "I don't see you doing any wooorrk."

"It's called trying to run a country without people knowing it's YOU running the country," Zuko grumbled, leaning against Ginny. "Why don't you go play with Mai or something? At least she talks to YOU."

A blink. Then another. "Mai. I can't find her. She's always hidden away somewhere, being... dark. And broody."

"I've still not met this Mai bird," Ginny interjected, her voice a tad sharp. "She appears to be a ghost."

"She might as well be," Zuko muttered, flopping back down on the floor, nearly cracking his head in the process. "I've seen her twice and both were in the halls and she acted as if I didn't exist. Not that I really care or anything..... Just, the Dai Lee don't talk much unless I'm giving orders and LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE LEFT FOR COMPANY!" he pointed at Ty Lee.

Ginny dropped down next to him. "Sweetheart, you're going to drive yourself quite thoroughly insane at this rate," she said.

When Zuko pointed at her, Ty Lee did a bit of a cartwheel and landed with a perfect 'thud' in Azula/Zuko's throne, then gave an excited 'WHEEEE.'

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh."

She beamed at Ginny. "Zuko's keeping ME company."

"Right." She gave the other girl a dry look. "Well, now we're both keeping him company, then," she said, and leaned her head on Zuko's shoulder.

"Like I want YOU for company!" Zuko snapped, looking in Ty Lee's direction. "You're so spying for Azula! Admit it!"

Ty Lee frowned and shook her head at Zuko's accusation. "Noo, Azula already knows all she wants to know about you. Anything else would just bore her."

"Oh now you're just asking for it!" Zuko leapt to his feet and shot several small bursts of fire at the girl. "YOU bore her with your stupidity! I know Water Tribe peasants with more with than you!"

"All right that's enough," Ginny said quickly, jumping up and grabbing Zuko's wrist. "And you as well," she said, frowning at Ty Lee. "Quit provoking him."

She dodged each of Zuko's attacks easily, her giggle echoing about the large chamber and somehow managed to seat herself back atop the throne again. "I'm only telling you what she told me, Zuko!"

"Oi!" Ginny said, raising her voice. "I mean it."

"Oh, right, like you know where she is right now and why exactly I'm the one with all the power and glory. Uh huh," Zuko told Ty Lee sarcastically, with a very fake grin on his face.

"Zuko," Ginny said sharply, turning to step in front of him.

"I know exactly where she is," Ty Lee replied simply, tapping her cheek in thought. "This is all part of Azula's plan."

"OH so she PLANNED me getting her ass tossed in the Labyrinth, did she?" Zuko casually pushed Ginny aside and stomped towards Ty Lee. "Just like she totally PLANNED me knocking you upside the head right now!"

"WELL NO, she didn't plan the Labyrinth thing.." She watched Zuko approach her, eyebrows raised but not at all threatened. "But she formulated everything after that! She's a strategic genius, really. You'll see soon!"

"All right this is getting ridiculous," Ginny said, pulling her wand from her hair and striding forward, frowning. She flicked it first at Zuko -- "Immobilus," she said under her breath. The last thing she needed was for him to go charging at the girl and then go on a guilt-trip about it later. She then pointed it at Ty Lee. "And you. That is quite enough."

Just as Zuko was about to move...DENIED.

Ty Lee blinked again, somewhat amazed and flabberghasted by Ginny's use of unfamiliar magic, somewhat imitating Zuko's stunned expression for her own amusement. "Wow!"

"You do not want me to do something worse to you," she told Ty Lee, her voice firm. She then turned back to Zuko. "Are you going to stop acting like an idiot?"

"M'not acting like an idiot!" Zuko told her. "She's irritating!"

She put on her best innocent face. "Who, me?"

Ginny ignored Ty Lee and shoved her wand into her hair, stepping forward to cup Zuko's face in her hands. "Please, love?" she asked softly.

"Zuko," she said exasperatedly.

"Why don't you want me to?" Zuko whined while pouting at her like a sad dog.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I want you to act like a child?"

Ty Lee ignored their chatting for the moment, finding her braid extremely fascinating.

"M'not acting like a child! She keeps pissing me off! It's what I do! I torch things that make me angry!" he explained to her much as an exasperated teen would to a child.

"Zuko, we've had the conversation about how you can't solve all your problems by setting them on fire," she said, beginning to grow annoyed with him. "You are not helping yourself or anyone else by insisting upon running headlong into things."

"Butbutbut she's annoying," he tried to reason. "How about only lightly toasted instead of extra crispy?"

Her only response was a dry look.

"I see you looking smug over there!" Zuko snapped as he eyed Ty Lee and leapt at her....only for him to go facefloor yet again, skidding across the slick flooring.

Ty Lee just laughed.

"And that is what happens when you behave like an idiot," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "You end up looking like one as well."

"I'm your idiot, remember?" Zuko smirked as he stumbled to his feet and brushed himself off, then shot Ty Lee a deathly glare. "Don't think I'll let you get away with today... When you least expect it......" He made a throat-slitting motion with his hand. "I've got my eye on you."

"Yes, you're very threatening." Ginny reached up and patted his cheek. "Now do try to act your age, dearest."

"You're not quick enough, Zu~ko!" she taunted quietly, in the midst of rebraiding her hair.

"I will when she does!" he replied to Ginny before snapping back at Ty Lee. "Get your ass over here and we'll just see how fast I am!"

"All right I have heard quite enough out of you," Ginny said, pulling her wand back out and spinning around, pointing it at Ty Lee. "Silencio."

Ty Lee seemed puzzled for a minute, opening and closing her mouth without any kind of sound coming out, but quickly adjusted and simply stuck her tongue out at Zuko.

He made a motion like he was going to rip her tongue out, but Zuko thought better of it and backed down. Instead he chose to simply glare at her and cross his arms.

"Calm, love," Ginny said gently, running a hand down his arm.

Taking a few slow deep breaths with his eyes closed, Zuko managed to regain what little calm he ever possessed in his entire life. Wasn't much, but enough.

"Better?" she asked, smiling.

"I guess," he shrugged, trying not to look at Ty Lee lest he be tempted to glare at her again.

"Good." She leaned up to brush a quick kiss over his lips.

Smiling, Zuko lightly gripped the back of her head and leaned in for a deeper kiss. To hell with other people!

Ty Lee made a face and decided that was the perfect time to leave. No thanks. Bag not included.

Ignoring Ty Lee, Ginny smiled as well and leaned into him, reaching up to take his hand in her own, lacing their fingers together.

"How about we go somewhere more private?" Zuko whispered softly in her ear when he broke the kiss.

"Mmm," she agreed, her eyes opening slowly. "Okay."

Smirking, he lead her down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. Then down yet another hallway until they reached his sleeping quarters and he opened the door. When he was certain no one had decided to follow, he held the door open for her and shut it behind them. "Much better."

"Much," she agreed. She grinned wickedly and pushed him back against the door, kissing him hard as her hands slid up to tangle in his hair.

He kissed her back, forcing his tongue into her mouth as he ran his hands down along her sides and rested on her hips. Murmuring softly into the kiss, he pulled her flush against him as much as he could, his hips thrusting against her.

Making a growling noise in the back of her throat, she bit down on his lower lip and slid a leg up to wrap around his.

"Mmm...." he moaned softly as one of his hands snuck around to grab her ass. Oh... Wait. Doorknob...in back. Ow much? Very ow. That could bruise.

Unaware of the problems Zuko was having with the doorknob, Ginny smirked against his lips and rolled her hips against his hands.

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow. Doorknob. Hurting. OW. Groaning, and wiggling from the bruising pain, he thrust hard against her, not only trying to make himself feel good but also to get her to back up slightly so there'd be no more doorknob in the back.

She giggled and stumbled backwards slightly, arms dropping quickly to his hips to grip them hard, keeping herself upright.

Better... Much better. No more pain. Smirking, he lifted her up by her hips and sat her on his bed. After a moment to make sure there was no more pain in his back he leaned in and captured her lips in a rough kiss.

"Mmmmm," she sighed happily, and kissed him back openmouthed, sliding her hands up under his shirt to rake her nails across his chest.

He let out a low groan, gripping tightly onto her shoulders. When he finally pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath he panted against her lips and whispered softly, "What would you like me to do..."

She paused, blinking heavily. This was new. "...What?" she finally said.

"Anything you want?" he asked, huffing against her lips. "Tell me what you want, babe."

"Just you," she whispered back, lifting a hand and running her thumb along the edge of his jaw and his lips.

"Lay back," he told her and then pulled away for a moment so he could tug his shirt off and toss it aside.

Not particularly feeling like questioning him, she crawled backwards on the bed and lay back, watching him through heavy eyelids.

Smiling at her, he slid her dress robes up far enough so her stomach was exposed and bent down to kiss it. His hands pinned on either side he trailed light kisses down her stomack and licked it.

She shivered and reached up to run her hands down his arms, twining her fingers with his as she smiled back at him.

"Can I?" he asked quietly, licking his lips as he ran a finger along the waistband of her undergarment.

"You don't have to ask," she replied immediately, voice low as she gripped his other hand tightly.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, and then let it out with a sigh. Licking his lips again, he tugged down her panties until the were all the way off and lowered his head so he could kiss and nip softly along her inner thigh.

She shivered again and grabbed for his hand, pulling it up to nip at his knuckles and resisting the tempation to reach down and pull his head up just a bit higher.

He panted softly, debating what to do, and then let himself wander until he found her warmth and gave it a tentative lick. His inexperience was obviously showing.

Somewhat amused, she let go of his hand and reached down to run her fingers through his hair. "Love you," she said softly.

"Love you more," he breathed, closing his eyes as he licked her again, this time a bit rougher, wanting to give her more.

She couldn't have cared less whether he was any good at what he was doing; the point was that he loved her and he was trying. ...And he wasn't that bad, either, she thought as she ran her toes lightly down his side.

He parted her legs a little more so he could force his tongue in deeper, desperate to show her how much he loved her and that he was willing to do anything to please her. As he did so he raked his nails down her inner thigh slightly with one hand, clawing to keep some sort of grip.

She made a contented humming noise and hooked her leg around his waist, digging her nails into his scalp.

Panting heavily, he pulled away so he could crawl up along her body and peer down at her. "Love you," he whispered and leaned down to kiss along her neck up to her ear.

"Mmmm. Love you," she replied, her voice low. "C'mere..." she said after a moment, lifting a hand to tug on his hair until he turned to look at her and she could kiss him properly.

He kissed her back hard, forgetting what he had just done completely like the idiot he was, and grinded his hips against hers.

She purred in the back of her throat and wrapped her leg more tightly around his waist, pressing him against her as she forced her tongue into his mouth.

Okay, whatever, he shrugged the thought off because oh hey look that was some tongue. He moaned into the kiss, gripping at her shoulder so hard he dug his nails in. It was getting to the point where, damn it, he wanted her and his pants were still on. This was a problem because pants were like the super barrier of evil. Evil, evil pants. And he really couldn't get up to take them off either.

Unaware of his conflict, she lifted her free hand to his face, dragging her fingernails lightly against the edge of his jaw.

Hello pants, how are you today? Please to be taking this moment to disappear yes, please? No? How dare you pants refuse to bend to the will of your wearer! Oh wait, right...pants. Stupid pants. Clearly frustrated, a certain area of him throbbing and almost painful, his bit his lip and willed his pants to be gone. Go on pants, just undo yourself and slide down.... All you got to do... Damn it, not working. And to make matters worse she totally wasn't paying attention. Perfect. Ab-so-lutely perfect.

Breaking the kiss for a moment to catch her breath, she let her lips trail down the side of his neck and brushed her thumb along the edge of his scar where it met his cheekbone. At the same time she unhooked her leg and dragged her foot along the back of his leg.

Come on, pants. Don't be stubborn... Oh, fuck it! Growling, he arched his up and tugged the strip of fabric that tied it closed so hard it flew out with a sound similar to that of a cracking whip. When he tossed it aside his pants slid back and pooled around his ankles. He crawled out of them and kicked them off the edge of the bed. After doing so, he snarled and bit hard into her neck, pressing a certain hardened something against her stomach.

"Excited, are we?" she breathed in his ear, and then nipped at the lobe, grinning widely.

"Mm," he murmured as he licked and nipped all along her neck and thrust against her. His lips trailed up to her ear and he took the lobe in between his teeth to suck on it. "Touch me," he said in a heated, demanding whisper.

"Oooh, commanding, aren't we," she said, a smirk in her voice, and bent her head to bite his collarbone. "I like it," she added, her voice dropping an octave as she slid a hand down his stomach and squeezed him lightly.

"Oh, you like that?" he groaned into her ear between light kisses. He rocked his hips and thrust into her palm as he trailed his lips down along her jaw. "You want me to be in control?"

"Yeah," she breathed against the side of his neck, nipping at his ear again. "You're sexy when you're being demanding."

"I like hearing that," he whispered, writhing slightly as his hips rocked against her. "Mmm.... I want you to beg for me."

"Please?" she said, her voice soft, and blinked up at him through her eyelashes.

"Please what?" he teased, nibbling along her jaw. "I'm not a mind reader, babe."

Still watching him through lowered eyelids, she licked her lips and whispered, "Fuck me, Zuko."

Groaning, he crashed his lips firmly against hers as he lifted his hips to enter her. Zuko kissed her roughly and passionately as he slid his entire length into her, his whole body tingling from heightened senses.

She growled and kissed him back hard, lifting her hips to lock her legs around his hips. "Oh god Zuko," she muttered as she tore her lips away to breathe for a moment before kissing him again.

He moaned into the kiss, slipping his tongue in, as he found his rhythm. One of his hands raked his nails down her stomach and slid up to cup her face, running his thumb along her jaw as he kissed her. He had never felt this heated or this hungry for her, or anyone, in his entire life. It took a great deal of willpower to not just let himself tear her apart. Woohoo sex. And by the power vested in me... There was sex. You may now.... Yeah. 8D

Once her heart rate had slowed, Ginny rolled over onto her stomach and snuggled up against him, pressing a couple of light kisses to the edge of his shoulder.

"Mm," Zuko murmured softly, kissing the top of her head as he ran a hand down her side. "I love it when you scream...."

She smirked up at him. "Keep being that good and that'll never be a problem."

"Was I really that good?" he asked quietly, his cheeks reddening with a light blush.

"Mmmm." She nuzzled his neck, closing her eyes. "Did it look like I wasn't... happy?"

"You looked very happy," he gave her forehead featherlight kisses. "I hope it was good enough."

"Always." She lifted her head smiled at him. "Love you."

"Love you too," he smiled back and gave her a peck on the lips. Sighing contentedly, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her against him.

"Let's just stay here and cuddle and never get out of bed, hmm?" she suggested after a minute.

"Sounds like a plan," he smirked, resting his forehead against hers as one of the arms around her pulled up slightly so he could let one of his hands wander and squeeze her bottom.

She giggled at him and tilted her head forward to brush a quick kiss over his lips. "Shameless," she accused him, amused.

"You know it," he squeezed it again and then slid his hand back up to cup her face. He looked into her eyes for a moment before he leaned in to give her a slow chaste kiss.

She sighed happily into the kiss, deliberately not pushing it any further and instead focusing on enjoying the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers.

When he finally pulled back, he continued to look at her with a hint of longing glistening in his eyes. He then dropped a few small kisses to her shoulder and then whispered, "You're amazing."

"Oh, I'm nothing special," she said dismissively, tucking her head under his chin.

"Yes you are," he protested, kissing the top of her head again. "You love me, that should be all that matters."

"I'm not," she disagreed, "but all right." She smiled. "I do love you."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he said, nuzzling against her.

She melted, looking up at him again. "Oh, Zuko..." she said after a long moment.

"I want it to stay just like this," he whispered as he trailed a delicate hand along her back and then brought it up to smooth her hair. "Forever."

She gave him a wobbly smile. "Sounds like a plan," she said softly.

"You're happy, right?" he asked, brushing his thumb over her lips.

"You know I am," she replied, her expression serious.

"Good," he hugged her tightly, as if afraid she might try to break free and run away. "I'm glad."

"You know I love you, right?" she asked him quietly, offering a small smile.

After a sigh, Zuko went quiet for a moment and just held her, as if pondering what she had just asked. "Yeah..." he finally said. "I do."


	14. Chapter 13

"I love you," Zuko murmured softly into her ear as he backed his girlfriend up against the far wall in her living room. "You have no idea how much you mean to me." He slid his hands down the front of her shirt, along her waist, bringing them to a rest at her hips where he pulled her closer to him. 'You'll never know how strong these feelings are,' he thought to himself, pressing light kisses along her jawline. 'I want to hold onto you. To hold you, kiss you, protect you. I want to be by your side, and I want to stay like this... Forever.' Little did she realize but he had another suprise hidden for her, but no, it wasn't quite the right time. Not just yet... The mood had to be right.

Ginny hummed agreement and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck to his lips. Under normal circumstances she would have responded more, but she was distracted by a thought that had been bothering her for days now.

'This is what I've been missing,' he thought as he nipped at her neck, his hands roaming back up again. 'The missing part.... Honor's just a title, the throne is just a symbol, but this...this is the most real thing there can be...' Whispering sweet-nothings with heated breath against her neck he played with the hem of her shirt and slid his hands up underneath. His fingertips trailed so lightly along her stomach it'd have been almost ticklish and he finally settled to fondle her breasts. 'All I need...is right here.'

She sighed and turned her head to kiss his neck, hoping Zuko wouldn't notice she wasn't paying attention like she normally did. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him.

'It's always been the same... All these years...' The thoughts continued to flood his mind as he kissed her behind her ear. 'Everything turns to hell... Falls apart... Blows up in my face.... But with her it doesn't matter. She makes me feel that all my time spent failing again and again will pay off one day. I've never tried harder than I do now, and I do it all for her. She's the only thing I have left. Without her, without her love I'm empty, broken.' Pressing his hips hard against hers, Zuko kissed all the way down her neck to her shoulder. 'She's become part of me.'

She smiled, almost sadly, and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the hair that was draped over one shoulder. "I love you," she whispered almost soundlessly.

"I lo--" Zuko couldn't finish the phrase. The way she said it, almost lifeless, made him concerned. She had never been so distant before... This... This wasn't her. "Ginny?" he asked softly, pulling back to look into her eyes. "What's the matter? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, sweetheart," she said quietly, reaching out to run her thumb along his jaw with a sort of wistful expression on her face. "You're perfect."

"Something's wrong, I can tell," he said, sliding his hands away from her as he stepped back. "Maybe we should just stop.... This can wait..." He glanced away for a moment. "Let's go for a walk, and we can talk, okay?"

She nodded and reached out to take his hand. "Okay."

Sighing, he held onto her hand and opened the front door so they could walk down the hall to the staircase. As they descened the steps he cast worried glances at her. This wasn't her. This wasn't the woman who'd laugh at him when he wasn't trying to be funny, who'd call him cute when he was trying to be manly, who wouldn't hesitate to say how much she loved him. He had no idea what happened that may have caused this, but he wanted to find out. The last thing he wanted was for something to be upsetting her, and he'd do his damnedest to fix everything to bring her sweet smile back.

As they stepped outside Ginny flicked her eyes up to the overcast sky. "I hope it doesn't rain," she said, her tone carefully neutral. This... this was going to hurt, and she couldn't allow herself to think about it too hard.

"If it decides to rain I'll just send a big bolt of lightning up there to tell it to fuck off, how does that sound?" He smiled lightly, trying to brighten her mood, but had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to work. Sliding an arm around her waist to hold her close he let out a deep breath. "You seem upset. What's wrong, babe?"

He was trying so hard. She felt the sudden need to cling to him and stopped in her tracks, whirling to wrap both arms around him and hold him tightly. "I love you," she whispered, feeling as though she needed to reassure him of this. "I love you so much, I'm never going to stop loving you, you're the first person I ever fell in love with, did you know? I love you..." she realised she was babbling and shut her mouth.

As much as he loved to hear those words from her, something in the desperation in her tone didn't sound right. When the startled expression on his face wore off, he wrapped both arms around her waist and hugged her as tightly as he could, kissing the top of her head. "I love you too.... It's okay... Shhh.... Please, my love, tell me what's bothering you? I can't make it better if you don't tell me." 'Please, almighty spirits, please have it just be another nightmare... Trouble with her friends...Something fixable...I don't want to fail her again....'

"You can't," she said, knowing she sounded desperate and hating it. "No-one can fix it, gods, Zuko, I'm so sorry..." She blinked furiously, trying to rid her eyes of the tears she could feel threatening to spill over.

"I don't understand," He tried to stop himself from shaking as he brought his thumb to her cheek to brush the tears away. "What is it that you don't think I can fix? Why are you apologizing? What's going--" He could tell his voice was starting to rise and become demanding so he hushed himself and lowered it to just above a whisper. "Please, Ginny, the love of my life, you can tell me... I don't like seeing you so upset..." His voice lowered even more so it was hardly audible. "It makes me want to cry too." A low rumble of distant thunder sounded in the background, and he could smell the storm approaching.

Oh, gods, she thought, don't call me that. Instead she glanced around at the street -- still crowded despite the coming storm -- and after a moment said, "Not here." She turned and dragged him down the street to the park, the same one they'd walked through after their date not so long ago.

Once they were well into the park, near a pond she'd made him stop and snuggle her by when they last visited this place, he stopped her and turned to face her. "Alright... We're completely alone... Nothing but the trees, grass, water, and stars. Please...." Zuko leaned in close to rest his forehead against hers. "Please tell me what's wrong."

She closed her eyes, unable to look at him as tears started to roll down her cheeks again. "It's not fair," she whispered after a long minute.

"Shhh," he murmured and kissed between her eyes, running a hand up and down her back soothingly. "Life isn't fair...but that can't be your only problem."

She started shaking her head. "No... no... that's not what I mean. It's not fair to you, I-- I--" she stopped. God, how did she even say this?

"Ginny, my love, darling, the one person I love talking to, please," he looked at her, an upsettingly desperate look in his eyes. "What?"

"No, no, don't say that, god," she muttered, stepping away from him. "Don't-- I-- Zuko..."

"Ginny, why are you being so difficult?" He let his hands linger for her in midair as she stepped away from him before dropping to his sides. "Please..." Zuko tried to step forward but instead fell to his knees. "Please... I'm begging you...tell me what's wrong... I don't know how ele to ask this... I just want to fix it. I want you to be happy!"

"Oh, gods," she whispered again, pushing the heels of her hands into her eyes and swiping at them, trying to avoid looking at Zuko on his knees in the damp grass, looking so scared... She was silent for a few moments. Shit. The only way she was going to be able to do this was to just say it. "I can't do this anymore," she whispered finally, looking anywhere but at him.

"..." Silently, he pushed himself back up on his feet and looked at her. Quizzically at first, then his expression grew serious. Biting his lip, he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying his hardest to keep his fear from showing through his nerves. "Can't do what anymore?"

She flinched when his hand touched her arm. "...Us," she replied after a long hesitation, so softly she was half-hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"..." He had to bite his lip hard to try to stop the trembling. Tears welled in his eyes and the pain behind them stung. His grip on her shoulder tightened when he managed to choke out, "Why?"

"I love you," she said, every word she spoke hurting as she said it. "But--" She choked for a moment, feeling as though she couldn't breathe -- god, what would this do to him? -- "...but I'm in love with someone else," she finished in a rush.

A loud thunderclap made Zuko bristle for a moment as a heavy rain began to fall. The water soaked his hair, forcing to tie to slip out and the flowing tresses to fall free around his shoulders, his bangs sticking to his forehead and sides of his face. He just stared at her for a moment, a look of utter disbelief on his face, and he leaned in to cup her face and to kiss her lightly. "Please," he whispered against her lips. "Tell me you're kidding.... Tell me this is just you stalling for something else..." What he had in his back pocket seemed to almost pulse against him, as if begging to be taken out. No, not yet, it wasn't the right time!

"I'm sorry," she said again, not knowing what else she could say. "I'm so sorry..." She gave a sob, tears mingling with the rainwater running down her face out of her hair.

"No," he said firmly, stepping back and shaking his head, still refusing to believe her. "It's not true! Please, tell me you're lying I don't care anymore! Just let this be another lie!" The look in his eyes could say so much.... Sorrow, disbelief, disappointment, anger...

"I wish it was," she said, starting to shiver -- she wasn't dressed to be outside in weather like this. "I wish I could just forget about -- it, and love you, only you for the rest of my life but I can't, Zuko, I didn't choose this, it just happened!" She was starting to feel slightly hysterical.

Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have hesitated to tear the shirt off his back to give to her to protect her from the weather. However now, after what she had just said, he was feeling rather selfish. His eyes, which used to only glow with warmth and love whenever he saw her, now leered with contempt and the beginnings of a fiery rage only people of his nation had the drive for. "There are always choices! Nobody forces emotions upon you!" In an instant it seemed like everything she'd ever done to hurt him all flashed through his mind at once. "You control your own life and decide what you want to do with it! Whether you like it or not the mistakes are yours!" Zuko hated to sound so angry, to yell at her when all he really wanted to do was hold her close and wish time would reverse. "Who could be pulling the strings behind this, hm?" Glaring, he leaned in close, his face barely an inch from hers as he whispered. "Who is it?"

Ginny stepped back from him, her eyes wide. "Zuko, that's not-- that's not true, I didn't..." she trailed off, fear and adrenalin and sorrow mixing to make her tremble. "You're scaring me."

"I love you!" he shouted, keeping his gaze locked on hers so she could see how much he meant it. "I do what I can to give you everything! What more do you want? Do you want me to jump off a bridge? To shoot myself? Because I would if that's what you wanted!"

"No!" she shrieked, shocked. "I never wanted anything but to love you! I still love you but it feels like a lie and I can't lie to you anymore, I can't hurt you like that!" She shoved her sodden hair back out of her face, searching for something else... "At least this way you have a chance," she said after a moment, brokenly.

There was a loud crack of thunder as a lightning bolt shot from the sky, aiming for the rather tall tree near them. He reached his hand out quickly, redirecting it to a smaller tree farther away where it practically exploded and burst into flames. "Chance to what?" he snapped, his body heating up with the welling rage. "To beg you to keep me just because I love you unconditionally? It's times like this I think you're no better than my fucking sister! You women really are all the same after all..." So much anger... Not only was he still spiteful for the fact she cheated on him, but for how long she could've been hiding this, for the fact he'd done so much for her and she hardly did anything at all, that he offered her his body and soul even though it was against tradition back home, so much.....and now he realized it was all for nothing. He felt used.

Ginny slumped to the ground, wishing she could think of something else to say. "...A chance to find someone else," she said finally. "Someone who can keep you." She chose to ignore the statement about his sister; she couldn't allow herself to believe he meant it and besides which, she didn't need to give them another thing to fight over.

"There is no one else," he said flatly, turning his back to her. "I can't just fall out of love with you and find another girl. It doesn't work like that. I'm devoted to you...by falling in love I've sworn my life to stay by your side and protect you. I can't just throw that all away.... I can't--" Zuko bit his lip and hng his head, silencing himself as he felt another wave of anger hit him. Why was it so easy for her? When he turned back around he gave her the most desperately angry look he could through the rain. "Who is it? Could you at least tell me that much?"

She looked up at him, her mouth working silently. She couldn't tell him, it would only hurt him worse. And he looked so angry...

Another booming thunderclap sounded, the following flash of lightning illuminating the fury in his bright gold eyes. "Your silence just confirmed everything," he said lowly, leering down at her. 'Should've killed the bastard when I had the chance....' he thought to himself. 'But now I have a reason to finish the job.' "Do you really think you're all that unpredictable, or difficult to read? Or maybe I just know you too well."

"Zuko, don't," she said desperately, scrambling back to her feet. "Please, I'm sorry..." She took a hesitant step towards him. "I still love you," she finished in a whisper.

"A 'sorry' from you is like putting a bandaid on a broken bone, it doesn't fix shit," he snapped bitterly at her. "The wound is still there along with the pain." He hated to be so hostile, so angry, but how else was he supposed to feel? How could he feel any sort of happiness in this? She'd literally just stabbed him in the heart.

She was crying again, she realised, and before he had the chance to stop her she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly and hiding her face in his chest. He was right; 'sorry' wouldn't do anything but what else could she say?

His back pocket pulsed again, as if screaming 'Now! Take it out now!", but she was crying, and at the moment it wouldn't help the situation at all. Zuko stiffened, as if not sure if he should touch her or not. But she seemed like such a wreck over it he softened a little and loosely wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered. "And only you... Why can't you feel the same for me?"

"I don't know," she sobbed, clinging to him. "I don't know... If I could make it go away and stay with you forever I would. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She knew her endless apologising wasn't doing any good, but she couldn't help it.

He fell silent, his body stiffening as he held her. Biting his lip, Zuko glanced down at her, a very hurt look in his eyes. "...What are you saying, then?" he finaly said, dreading the answer.

"I can't stay with you anymore," she whispered into his chest. "I just can't. I can't lie to you anymore and being with you when I love you both feels like a lie."

Another loud thunderclap and he was pushed over the edge. Upon hearing her say that he shoved her back hard, stepping away from her as he tried to fight back the angry tears stinging his eyes. "If that's the way you feel, that being with me is a lie," his voice was painfully cold. "Then maybe we should have nothing to do with each other anymore."

She stumbled back from him, wrapping her arms around herself, still sobbing. "Please..." she whispered, not even sure what she was asking for.

"No," he said, looking way from her so he wouldn't have to pain himself with how hurt she looked. "I can't keep doing this, Ginny. I don't like being jerked around! If this is how you want it, then fine. You've made your choice. Now I'm making mine."

"I never wanted anything but to love you," she said softly, repeating herself, wishing he'd turn and look at her because as much as it hurt to see the pain in his eyes it hurt worse that he couldn't even face her.

"You say this and yet you love some one else," he glared at her. "I don't 'share'. I've got a stronger sense of honor than that."

"...I know you do," she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"You can't tell me you don't feel anything...." He said softly and then lightly cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, as if trying to make a point. It wasn't the usual gentleness he had with her, this was forceful, demanding, as if he was begging for her to reconsider.

She kissed him back hard, wanting to enjoy it and knowing it was probably the last.

He pulled back slowly, a remorseful look gleaming in his eyes. The tears that streamed down his cheeks mixed in with the heavy rain. He could tell the spark was gone. Suddenly, all the things he heard and denied were playing through his mind like a broken record. Mai's voice clearly rang out above all the rest, 'You think so, but did it ever occur to you that maybe it's not worth it? That if she can do things like that to you...if you can do things like that to each other, maybe it's because she's not the one.' The rage he'd tried to suppress began bubbling up once more and he bit his lip, turning to look away from her again. 'She's not the one.'

She looked back up at him, blinking tears from sad eyes. "Please believe me, Zuko," she said quietly. "I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry."

Keep calm, for her sake... Zuko had to try hard not to just snap. It was hard, he was burning inside with all this inner turmoil just wanting to be set free, to come out at full blast like the powerful flames he was able to produce. "This is it," he said finally. "Be happy with him, if that's what you really want for yourself. Don't you dare regret your decision because you lost me...and you can't have me back."

She shook her head. "I know. ...I wish it could have been different." She paused, reaching up to swipe at her eyes. "A part of me will always love you. You should know that."

No! No! Don't say that!' His mind tried to argue her. 'You're just saying that to ease the blow! You don't mean it!' He bent over slightly, clawing at his face, tears of rage, pain, and sadness flowing down his cheeks, his mess of emotions giving him not only a major heartache but a headache as well. It felt as if she'd stabbed him in the heart with a knife so deep that it couldn't be removed so he just left it there to let him wallow in his misery and pain until he died. "No!" he shouted. "Just no! Stop it!" Zuko picked his head up and in a blind enraged state he slapped her hard across the face. "Just shut up!"

She gave a sharp gasp and stepped back from him, one hand going to her shocked face. "Zuko..." she whispered, ignoring the fresh tears that spilled down her cheeks.

The moment the hard droplets of rain touched him the water turned to steam, forming a sort of misty aura around him. His rage made him burning hot to the touch and it was a wonder he wasn't shooting out any fire. Zuko stared at her long and hard, breathing deeply, thunder rolling in the sky, echoing through the empty park. "You know what?" he spat angrily. "If this is how you want it to be then fine! I'm done trying. So-- Just-- You-- Just FORGET IT!" The last two words he shouted rang in his ears and could be heard miles away if it wasn't for the noise of the storm. He turned on his heel giving her his back, and peered over his shoulder to look at her one last time. The expression in his eyes was painful enough to send the strongest person into a depression. He looked so hurt, so remorseful, so desperate for her....and then he turned around all the way. Without another word he choked back a sob and ran off deep intot he park. As he sped off, what he had been keeping in his pocket slipped out and bounced onto the grass where he had been standing. He ignored it and kept running, not looking back again.

She watched him leave, feeling as though someone had ripped open her chest and torn out her heart and her lungs and everything that made her function. She slumped to the ground, not caring that mud and water were seeping into her jeans.

Lightning cracked overhead and a glint of light in the grass caught her eye. She reached out and grabbed for it.

Zuko had left behind a glittering diamond ring.


	15. Chapter 14

There was nothing left, no turning back. Zuko had finally come to realize that he'd finally lost it all. His honor, his throne, the one person he loved…everything. He had only one choice left, one place to go…back to his sister, the person he'd been trying to evade for so long. She'd finally bested him, and just when he thought he won, he really had lost. There was nothing left to him, he was broken, emotionless, empty. This was all he could do.

"Azula," he said as he opened the doors to the throne room and stood before his sister. "I've come as you requested." He kept his eyes to the floor, not daring to meet her gaze.

"Ah, Brother." Her voice was strange, neither cruel nor condescending – it just was. "Welcome home."

Surrounded by the traditional flames of the throne room, she was not cast into shadow like her father, instead sitting illuminated by the flickering light and looking the picture of porcelain perfection that all royal women had been trained to achieve.

"I have heard from others that you have no ties to any other worlds. Now, brother, is this true?"

"I have a few," he confessed, hanging his head slightly as he looked away. "But they don't really matter anymore." There was a pause before he sighed softly. "I've got nothing."

"Zuko." She stood, making her way down the steps to stand slightly above him. "I hate to say this, but I believe I did mention to you that she was a whore quite awhile ago. It's a pity that you chose not to believe me. Perhaps if you had this would have never had happened but that is water under the bridge."

She reached out, grabbing his chin and pushing his face up so she could look into his eyes. "What should I do with you, brother?"

"Whatever you wish," Zuko replied softly, a saddened look gleaming in his eyes as he peered up at her. "No matter what happens I'll always remain loyal to my nation…and its ruler."

"Will you swear to serve me, brother? Knowing that disloyalty means your death?" Her grip on his chin tightened, nails biting into his skin.

Zuko thought about this for a moment. Azula had everything their father did…and then some. She had power, she had skill, she had a way with her words…everything. For what he would lose he would gain just as much. It was his only chance. His chance of escaping everything, of leaving it all behind, of forgetting. His chance to be closer to home, and to Mai.

"Yes," he replied with a slight nod and then slipped from her grasp to drop to his knees in a bow. "I am your humble servant and swear to serve you until death, my Lady."

She grinned, pleased. "Very well, brother. I accept. Rise."

Azula turned away, though she did not ascend the steps up to her throne. "Now, brother, because nothing can be given away freely, one day I will ask for information. I will expect you to share it willingly. Understood?"

"I understand," he nodded again as he stood back upright. "Any task you request I will perform to the best of my abilities. My allegiance is to you and only you now, sister."

There was an empty glow in his eyes, as if all that had happened to him and sucked his soul from his body leaving a lifeless shell. Zuko knew he had no other options left. Might as well take the best thing offered.

"Remember that, brother." Azula turned her head slightly, eyes catching the light from the flames, creating an almost hellish image.

Turning back, she waved her hand dismissively. "You may go."

A satisfied smile crept over Azula's face, a sense of accomplishment settling within her heart at the past few days work. There were other problems to work through but for right now she was content with what remained of her brother.

"Thank you my Lady," Zuko bowed his head and turned to walk out of the throne room. He figured Mai and Ty Lee were to be called upon next so he quickened his pace a bit, to make sure he got to Mai before she was summoned.


	16. Chapter 15

Ginny Apparated into her London flat, carefully balancing a box in which she carried the five turtleducks. She set it on the ground in the entryway and left the ducks to their own devices, walking down the hall toward the kitchen. "Zuko?" she called.

Silence. It was almost as if he hadn't heard her. After a minute, Zuko finally realized that he was, in fact, being addressed and called back to her, "In here!"

She blinked, startled. He was in her room? She went into the bedroom and discovered him lying on her (perfectly made) bed, staring moodily at the ceiling. "Hey. What're you doing in here?"

"Ceiling is interesting," he said, lazily pointing up at it.

"...Sure. Hey." She sat on the edge of the bed and poked at him. "You were really upset the other night. Are you doing any better?"

"Eh..." He didn't even bother looking at her, not sure how to respond. "My girlfriend doesn't care about me, my father is now watching my every move, someone I love like a sister could be about to die... I'm not sure what to feel."

Ginny's face fell. "Oh, Zuko. I'm sorry. Can I help at all?" She tucked her legs up and scooted over to sit closer to him.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but closed it quickly, sighing. "...No. I don't think so."

She frowned. "You were going to say something else."

"Nothing," He rolled over onto his side, facing away from her. "It's nothing."

She poked at him again. "Hey. Don't shut me out, Zuko."

"...There's a reason I chose to come here," Zuko said finally, his voice quiet, as if unsure he really wanted to tell her. "Rather than go to Katara...Or Sensei..."

"...What's that?" she asked after a moment, knowing asking was probably a bad idea but as usual unable to resist.

"...I can be alone," he sighed, closing his eyes. "It's invisible to my dad, and anyone he'd send out, and I don't have to worry about random people just coming in out of nowhere..." He remembered the night, not so long ago, when a ticked off Orochimaru crashed into his apartment, trying to murder him.

"Ah. I can understand that." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "D'you want me to go? Promise I won't be offended if you do."

"....You came all this way... You don't have to...." He still didn't turn to look at her.

"I Apparated, Zuko, it's not hard. I can leave if you want me to."

Finally, he flopped over onto his other side and stared at her through half-lidded eyes, frowning. "...I don't."

She smiled at him. "Well, I'll stay for a bit, then."

"By the way...." Zuko pointed to nowhere in particular. "I knocked over your jewelry box when I was looking for my phone....I put everything back though...."

Her eyes flicked over the the jewelry box on the dresser. "Oh. Thanks."

"...I'm sorry..." He glanced away. "I can be a bit clumsy when I'm not in the right mind." There was something he obviously wasn't telling her.

She cocked her head, regarding him for a minute. "...What's wrong?" she finally asked.

Biting his lip, he reached into his back pocket and pulled something out, then held his hand out to her and opened it so she could see. "...You kept it."

She flushed. His ring. She had kept it. She hadn't realised it had been left here in London, though; she'd thought she'd taken it to Tokyo with her. "Yeah, I did," she said softly after a moment, not quite meeting his eyes.

"...Why?"

There was a long silence as Ginny tried to decide how to explain it to him. "To remind myself," she said finally.

Not saying anything, he sat up and slid off the bed, then stepped quietly over to the doorframe and leaned against it, looking out. "You're happy now...right?"

"I am," she replied instantly.

"I'm glad," he nodded, choosing not to look at her.

"Zuko..." She slid off the bed and crossed the room to stand next to him. "What's this really about?"

"...It's complicated." Naturally, he used his well-known phrase for trying to get out of things he didn't feel like going into detail about.

"Right, because there's been a time when I accepted that as an answer," she said dryly.

"It's a perfectly reasonable response," he folded his arms across his chest.

"Zuko, you're doing that thing where you block me out again," she said.

"I don't want to hurt you more than I already have," he stated flatly.

Her immediate urge was to tell him that she didn't think that was possible, but she swallowed the words before she could speak them. Instead she stepped closer and placed a hand lightly on his arm. "Something is obviously bothering you. I wish you'd talk to me."

He turned his head slightly to look at her. "I wish you meant nothing to me."

Well, that stung. She dropped her arm and just stared at him, unsure how to respond.

"So I wouldn't feel this urge to protect you. The moment my father finds out what sort of connection we have... I don't even want to think about what he'll try to do... And I can't even talk about you around her because she gets mad when I do.... It's like she senses something... But I can't forget how I felt... Or get rid of how I feel..." He kept trailing off until finally he sighed and closed his mouth.

Her brow creased slightly in confusion. They'd had this conversation before; it was a circular argument, that he worried about her even though she could take care of herself, and she worried about him even though he could, too, and that they both still cared about one another even though they'd moved on. "I don't understand."

"I love her." It sounded as if he was saying it more so to embed it in his own mind than anything else.

"I know you do," Ginny replied, puzzled.

He looked at her, a weird expression in his eyes, his face solemn. "I love you."

For close to a minute she just stared at him, unable to formulate a response. He loved her? Still? How? He'd told her, ages ago, that he didn't love her anymore, that he'd moved on. She'd believed him, of course; how could she not? She had.

And all this time he'd still been in love with her. No wonder he'd seemed so awkward the few times she'd seen him since they broke up. Not all the time, no, but there'd be moments where he'd say extraordinarily odd things, and all she could do was try to change the subject -- and it had been because he loved her. Gods, what could she say? She realised she had opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, and finally allowed herself to stutter, "You-- but-- Zuko..."

"It ended too suddenly.... I never really was able to 'let go'...." He sighed and looked away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. It was all she could think of to say. She was still reeling from his confession.

"I should apologize... I don't mean to complicate things... You're happier now... I'm glad...."

She shook her head slowly. "Don't apologise."

"Being with her feels wrong because I...." He sighed again, trying to straighten himself out. "Maybe our problem all along... Was just me...."

"Oh, Zuko, no." Ginny wasn't sure whether he was talking about the two of them, or himself and Mai, but either way it didn't matter -- he was doing it again, putting himself down, making himself worthless. And it was so unnecessary. "You... pardon the cliche--" She made a wry face. "You were one of the best things that has ever, ever happened to me," she told him, unconsciously stepping a bit closer. "You taught me a lot of things that I needed to know."

"About what?" He blinked, mildly curious. He hadn't expected her....to really take it in such a way...

"About how to not fuck up something so precious to me," she said after a moment.

He was about to let 'But you did that anyway' slip out, however, he caught himself. "...I see."

"...I don't know what else to say," she admitted after another long moment of silence, moving closer to him again without realising she was doing it.

"What else is there to say? You finally found what you were looking for, and I'm happy for you. Don't let my emotions and fucked up way of thinking hold you back or get in your way. I've managed dealing with myself on my own my entire life. I just need more time... To fully get over it..." Absently, he wrapped a loose arm around her waist.

She tensed, her mind rebelling against the fact that her body was reacting to his proximity -- if nothing else she couldn't deny that on some level she was still attracted to him. She shivered slightly as her muscles finally relaxed and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry," she said again, her voice soft.

"Don't be. Not because of me." He shook his head. "You've found your happiness. I don't want anything to destroy it. It's my fault I'm so messed up, and the only one who can fix it...

Is me."

"I wish I could fix it for you," she said, regret and sympathy clear in her voice.

"There are some things even you and your magic can't do," he sighed, finding the wall he was looking at very interesting. "I know my place in things, and I choose not to try to meddle. I know when I've lost. I have the honor as a man to not take what isn't mine, either." There was a hint of contempt in his voice. It was obvious he still blamed Light for everything, as much as it was her fault more so. He just couldn't face the fact that she wasn't as pure of heart as he led himself to believe. "Only thing I can do is let things work themselves out."

"I still wish I could help." She stepped a bit closer to him, her fingertips brushing against his scar as she reached up to push his hair out of his face so she could look at him. "You're my friend, Zuko, I care about you."

He wanted to flinch, to pull away, to run. However, something kept him frozen to the spot, unable to move. He looked at her meaningfully for a moment, leaning in closer, not even realizing he was doing so. "You're my friend too..."

She attempted a smile, dropping her hand. "I really am sorry," she said. "I didn't mean for things to happen this way."

He nodded, again finding the wall to be a lot more interesting to look at than anything else. It seemed whenever he got into an uncomfortable position, he could always find reassurance from inanimate objects. "Yeah..."

"Zuko, please don't shut me out again," she said, her expression going serious.

"You shouldn't have to bother with me," he replied flatly.

"Why not, pray tell?"

"You have enough to worry about," he shrugged.

"I have very little to worry about right now," she disagreed. "Don't turn off like that. Please."

"Besides...I don't think he'd like you being so...erm...word for it...'involved' with me anymore..."

Ginny rolled her eyes, making a disgusted sound. "Honestly, the two of you... Light knows full well you're one of my closest friends, and there's nothing he can do about it. He may not like it, but I'm my own person and I'll be friends with whomever I damn well please."

"Why do you do these things? Even though you know it upsets people you care about?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Do what things, talk to you?"

"Yeah." Another nod.

"I told you, Zuko." She reached up and tugged on a lock of his hair. "I care about you."

"I know you do," he sighed. "but sometimes it might be best to just let things be."

"Well, we all know how good I am at doing that." She gave him a wry smirk.

He shook his head. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

She gave an exasperated sigh and smiled at him again, reaching up to cup his face in both hands. "Zuko. Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine."

"I know you will," he nodded, letting a hand fall to her waist to draw her in closer. A soft sigh escaped his lips before he leaned in to lightly brush his lips against hers, and then stepped back quickly, shaking his head. "Sorry... I'm sorry... Shouldn't have done that.... No...."

She sucked in a breath and stepped back from him, eyes going wide. "Zuko..." she whispered.

"I'm sorry..." He said again.

Ginny just shook her head, unsure of how to respond.

"I'll just...go...and uh....jump out the window now..." He said quietly, pivoting on his heel.

"Don't," she said sharply, reaching out to grab his arm. "I'll... I'll go."

He looked extremely sad. "You don't have to... It's my fault...." He sulked. "I fucked up...again."

She shook her head again. "No. It's... it's all right. You stay here, I should be going home anyway." She suddenly realised that she was going to have to tell Light that Zuko had kissed her. Zuko had kissed her. Shite.

"Fine...Just...Be careful...." He sighed and slumped down onto the floor, resting his head against the doorframe and burying his face in his hands. There was no way he was going to get out of this in one piece. Fuck. He was going to time how long it took for either Light or Mai to go find and beat the crap out of him.

Ginny stood there for a moment, gnawing on her lip, and then Disapparated without saying anything else. She was not looking forward to this.


	17. Chapter 16

Ginny Apparated into Zuko's room in the Western Air Temple, Zuko's

Christmas gift in one arm and a grin on her face. If nothing else this

would certainly be amusing.

Upon hearing her, Zuko jumped. No longer used to the noise. He then

promptly fell off the bed. "Oh!... Hey there."

She snickered at him. "Nice, Zuko."

"Heeey it's been a while. You don't visit me anymore." He frowned,

getting to his feet.

"I do so. ...Sometimes." He was actually right; they hardly saw one

another anymore.

"But it's good to see you," he smiled and then hugged her gently. "Is

that my present? Oooh what is it?"

She grinned and hugged him back. "Yes it is!" She handed him the long

rectangular package. "Open it and find out."

Very excited, he tore the wrapping paper to tiny shredded bits and

ripped up the box it came in as well. "Ooooooooh," he looked impressed

at the longsword. "I like it."

Ginny grinned as she sat on the edge of Zuko's bed, folding her legs

under her. She grinned at him. "I thought you might."

He moved around with it, testing it. "It feels different. Different

kind of cut. More like stabbing, yeah?"

"Mm-hmm."

He propped the sword against the wall for the time being so he could

sit next to her on the bed. "I like your shirt."

Ginny looked down at herself and considered it for a moment. "So do I."

Nevermind the fact he said it because it showed off her chest rather

well. Also at that moment without realizing it he leaned in a little

closer to her. "Hi there."

She giggled at him. "Hi."

"Did you do something with your eyes? They're more sparkly than

normal," he smirked.

"Me? No." She gave him her best innocent look.

"So...how're you?" He asked casually, laying back so his head was

resting on her lap.

"Mmmm... good." Ginny stretched back out to lean against the wall,

careful not to dislodge his head. "Evidently I have Children From The

Future, that's certainly entertaining."

"I do too, apparently," he grinned. "Fun, right?"

She grinned again. "Very." She poked Zuko in the side of the head.

"Also evidently, our sons have a Thing."

Zuko chuckled. "Think it's genetic?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Genetic how?

"Oh, I don't know," his tone was very casual as he laced his fingers

behind his head. "You were pretty taken with me. And your husband

isn't exactly Sean Connery."

"My husband is gorgeous, thank you," she said, flicking his ear. "But

I get your point."

"I'm still amazed that my son's the spitting image of me. It's like

looking in a wayback mirror," he commented.

She tilted her head at him. "Is that really what you looked like when

you were thirteen?"

"For the most part, yeah." He nodded. "Different hairstyle though and

I think he has Mai's cheekbones."

Ginny grinned. "He's very pretty."

"I was pretty too once..." He said softly.

She gave him an exasperated look. "Zuko. We have had this conversation

so many times."

"You think I'm attractive, but you're one person," he stated flatly.

"Plenty of others don't. But I don't care. Because I like me. Even if

no one wants to be around me."

"Good." She patted his chest. "I want to be around you."

"That reminds me...." He reached over and felt under his bed for

something and pulled it out. "I got this for you... It's a necklace."

"Ohhh, Zuko it's so pretty!" she gasped.

"I figured you'd like it," he smiled.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him.

He sat up slightly so he could look at her. "You're pretty, you know?"

"Yes, I know," she said, amused.

"So pretty..." He looked at her in that special way he always used to,

smirking. "Too bad I had rotten luck."

"You don't have rotten luck, Zuko," Ginny said softly, reaching down

to fiddle with his hair. "I buggered us up."

"Well un-bugger it," he muttered and then shifted himself so he was

crawling up her body he could look into her eyes. "I miss you."

"Doesn't work that way, love," she said apologetically, forcing

herself not to react to his proximity.

"I promise...." Zuko said softly. "That I'm not rebounding on you

because the idiot's being...well...an idiot. If I were doing that,

well, there are thousands of other people.... It's just... No matter

what I do... Or tell myself... I can't forget you. I can't let go."

His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he rested his forehead

against hers.

"I'm sorry." She reached up and cupped his face with one hand. "You

know I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know..." He whispered, pulling away just enough so he could drop a

light kiss on her cheek. "...You're like a drug or something." He

laughed.

Ginny giggled and shoved at him. "I prefer alcohol. But okay."

"I have some if you want," he grinned.

She gave him a look. "No, thank you."

"Lame," Zuko replied, still smiling and then dove under his bed to

look for his laptop. In the process he tossed aside clothes, scrolls,

CDs, a BluRay player, a PS3 controller, and various other articles

that one would be surprised could fit under there.

"...Damn, Zuko," she said, leaning over the side of the bed to peer

under it at him. "What're you doing under there with all that shite,

starting a department store?"

"It's the best place to hide stuff!" He laughed, and then finally got

what he was looking for. "Found it!" Clutching his laptop, he slid out

and hopped back up onto the bed so he could flip it open. "Ignore the

wallpaper, I want to show you something." Topless Jessica Alba on the

beach. How tasteful.

"That's great, Zuko, very appropriate," she said dryly, unable to

resist commenting.

"Isn't it?" He joked, as he dug through files to find what he was

looking for. "Check out this song."

"What." She flopped down her stomach, propping her chin up on her hand

and peering around him at the computer.

"I found this song the other day and it made me think of you," he told

her, smirking.

Ginny shook her hair back out of her face and closed her eyes to

listen to the song. "...I like it," she said, smiling, when the song

ended.

After giving the bettery a quick zap, he closed the laptop and set it

aside. "Yeah... I find some pretty weird stuff.... Heh."

She looked sideways up at him and grinned. "You're weird."

"What?" He looked taken aback. "How am I weird?"

"Dear, you've always been weird." She patted his leg consolingly.

"WHAT?" He tried his best to look insulted, but failed miserably.

She laughed again and rolled over on her back, stretching. "So. You

were the one who told me to come over, what're we doing now?"

"We're....hanging out?" he suggested.

"Helpful, Zuko," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Is there something you want to do?" Zuko smiled.

She shrugged. "Not really."

"We could bug the idiot....if he's buggable....."

She grinned. "Wasn't that the real point of me coming over

here?"

"Perhaps......" Zuko grinned.

"Well, so where is he, then?" She poked her tongue out at him. "Am I

meant to just let you flirt with me until he shows up?"

"See, we go by him, flirt like a couple of crazy schoolkids, and see

what he does," he told her.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "So we have to go find him, then?"

"Yes," he grinned her. "I know where he is...."

"So much work," she said dramatically. "The things I do for you..."

"You know you like me," he laughed as he dragged her down the hall to

where Sokka was.

She laughed as he dragged her off the bed and followed behind him,

letting him hang onto her. "You have to flirt with me for this to

work, you know," she teased him, bumping her hip against him.

"You're a very sexy woman and uh, you're beautiful, and hot and...."

He said to her with a grin as they got close, making a big show of it.

"Oh, come on, you can do better than that," she said, giggling

at him again.

"Your smile lights up the room," he said intimately, pushing her back

against the wall. "And you're the most amazing person in the

universe."

"Getting better," she said, giving Zuko her best seductive smile.

"If I got any better it might have to be a bit more physical, babe,"

Zuko grinned wickedly.

"You're just not allowed to kiss me," she reminded him.

"Anything else is open game then?" he murmured, and then turned his

head to make sure Sokka could hear him. "YES, OF COURSE, I WOULD LOVE

TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU, GINNY. THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL."

"You know that's not what I meant!" she whispered, and smacked him in

the arm, trying not to burst into hysterical giggles.

"Whatever," he chuckled, nudging her. "WOW. YOU ARE REALLY HOT. I

WONDER WHAT YOU WOULD LOOK LIKE NAKED. WHY DON'T I TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF

AND FIND OUT."

"You are going to get me into so much trouble," she snickered.

"Also: it hasn't changed."

Sokka wandered into the room, a scroll in one hand and a sandwich in

an other. He caught sight of the two midbite, and tried to duck out of

sight while he choked.

Sokka not being the sneakiest person in the world, Ginny caught sight

of him before he hid. "Looks like we just got found," she whispered to

Zuko, giggling. "You're allowed to step it up a bit for his benefit."

She winked at him and slid one hand up into his hair and pull his head

down so she could whisper in his ear, "But be good!" -- knowing

that was definitely not what it would look like to Sokka.

"ButeverythingIdoisbad," Zuko mumbled, trying to figure out how to

take it up a notch. One hand dropped to grope her butt. "How do you

like that?"

Sokka peered out from his hiding spot after having saved himself from

choking to death. 'What's he dooooooing' He frowned deeply,

clapping a hand over his mouth to keep from saying anything.

"I'm just wondering how long it's going to take for him to have a

freaker," Ginny said, still talking into his ear. "He's watching us,

you know..." She nuzzled the side of his neck.

"I can see that..." He said quietly, "Any minute now...'specially if

I...." Zuko then made the motion like he was working something out of

his pants.

"You're terrible," Ginny murmured, trying not to laugh again.

"I know." Zuko chuckled softly, making very interesting motions that

could be taken incredibly wrong if one had no idea what was going on.

Sokka's eyes were as wide as dinner plates at this point, he wasn't

sure if he was more shocked or upset. Was this just revenge? Or was

Zuko...? After a bout of mental keysmashing Sokka sprang up and dashed

away, leaving both his sandwich and scroll behind.

"Shit...." Zuko cursed. "I was not expecting that.....

Oh.......fuck...." He just stopped plain in the middle of what

he was doing and whispered, "What do I do?"

"I dunno." Ginny stood on her tiptoes to peek over Zuko's shoulder.

"Think he's going to come back?"

Sokka was breaking everything in sight, throwing things against walls

as he went along. He was angry and upset, at himself and at Zuko. The

universe really, really hated him.

Hearing the sounds of stuff breaking, Zuko bristled. "I think I'd

better go after him.... Sorry, babe...."

"S'okay." She patted his chest. "I think he got it. Want me to hang

around, or... ?"

"Stay...." Zuko told her as he got himself together to go run off.

"Someone's going to have to clean up the blood, probably...."

She winced. "Okay. I'll wait for you."

"Hopefully, I'll return..." He said and then ran off. "Sokka! Wait! It

wasn't what you think! Come on!"

Sokka was still breaking whatever he could get his hands on, looking

for things that would make extra loud crashing and smashing noises.

"Real mature of you," Zuko said flatly when he caught up, grabbing

onto Sokka's arm.

"LET GO OF ME!" If Sokka had been mid throw of anything it would have

been in Zuko's face at this point. Luckily for both of them, his hands

were empty.

Zuko winced, but continued to keep up with him. 'Hurts, doesn't it?"

He told him sharply. "Lucky for you, we weren't actually doing

anything."

Sokka froze up, anger being quickly replaced solely by hurt. He yanked

his arm away from the firebender. "So it was just for...revenge?"

"Mm'hm," Zuko replied quietly with a nod. "Hopefully you might've

learned something from it. I'd never mean to hurt you like that.

Thought you'd have known that by now."

"Yeah, I get it." Sokka turned from it, heart throbbing. Zuko had done

this specifically to hurt him, no other reason. "I'll be going now."

He spat as he started walking away.

"Please..." Zuko called out quietly. "If I had known....I didn't mean

for this... I..." He knew he shouldn't apologize, something inside was

nagging him not to, but he didn't know what else to say instead.

"...I'm sorry."

Sokka heard him, but ignored him. He knew it was supposed to 'teach

him a lesson', but that didn't change anything. It had taught him

something, alright. The watertribe boy marched away, careful to keep

his head held high despite it all.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Zuko called down the hall.

He debated tearing off the necklace right then and there, thinking it

was over.

Sokka ignored him again, ducking into his room and slamming the door

behind him. He threw himself onto his bed (technically it was their

bed) and gripped at the sheets. He didn't know what he wanted.

Sighing, and mentally kicking himself, Zuko scampered down to hall to

lean quietly back against the door. "Just thought I'd tell

you...before you hate me forever....and I go escort her back..... That

I still love you... A lot... Yeah..." He looked at the closed door

before running back to Ginny. It sucked being kind of in the middle

like this. He had no idea what the hell he should do.

Ginny glanced up when Zuko came into the room. "Hey," she said softly.

"I'm sorry, I..." She trailed off, not knowing how to finish the

sentence.

"It's not your fault," Zuko replied. "It was a bad idea. Should've

known he's too high strung to handle it maturely."

"Still." She scowled. "He's never liked me anyway. Doubt this is going

to help."

"Well... I had to do something...." he said softly. "It wouldn't have

meant as much if I went 'HERE. HAVE THIS SEASHELL. IT IS PRETTY LIKE

YOU'."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "No, probably not. Still..."

"I've never been that great at flirting..." He admitted, shrugging.

"Hey, you kept me around for four months," she said, trying for

encouraging.

"I think it was more...the other stuff..." He looked a bit shifty.

"I wasn't with you for the sex, Zuko," she said dryly.

"Was I that bad at it?" He looked hurt, slumping into a chair.

"Not at all," she said, surprised.

"Oh, good," he brightened a bit, the stab to his manly pride healed.

"What I meant," Ginny said, "was that even if you had

been, I'd still have been with you, because I loved you." She tilted

her head and looked at him for a moment. "You still don't

believe that, do you?"

"No, 'course not," he shook his head. "But I am sensing a trend

here... You... Mai.... Him...."

"I wish you would," she said, pulling her legs up and wrapping her

arms around her knees. "Just because you've been given some bad shite

to deal with doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved. And just

because we didn't work out doesn't mean you'll never find

anyone."

"But I thought Mai really liked me..." He said, looking away. "But one

slip up and she was gone... You stuck around for far worse than that."

"And that was her, not you, Zuko. You screwed up, yeah, but

she made the choice to walk out on you when she could have

stayed with you anyway. And it isn't as though it was a

complete failure, either, you have Tai and Ursa now, don't

you?" She offered him a small smile.

"Like reminding me that I have bastard children helps anything," he

groaned, covering his eyes with one hand. "Matter of fact, that's

making things worse."

Oops. Ginny chewed on her lip for a second, then unfolded her

legs and crossed the room to sit on the arm of Zuko's chair. "I really

am sorry," she said softly.

"It's not your fault, babe," he grumbled, hand still over his face,

but he could feel her there. "I'm just an idiot."

"Sometimes, yes," she agreed, an amused tone to her voice. "But not

always." She leaned over and hugged him lightly. "You try. That's more

than can be said for most men."

"I'm fucked up," Zuko said quietly, leaning in to her hug. "Thanks,

though."

"Right, and I'm completely normal. Seriously, Zuko."

"What do you mean? I'm sure you're plenty normal... For a witch, I

mean." He shrugged.

She snorted, sitting up and swinging her legs around to rest on the

other arm of the chair. "I'm really not," she said. "But that's not

the point and you know it, love." She frowned at him. "Why do we

always end up having such serious conversations? Why can't we just

have fun anymore, hmm?"

"Because I'm a very serious guy," he rpelied, making his best I'm A

Very Serious Guy face.

Ginny burst into laughter. "You! Serious! Oh yes very."

"I am," he finally pulled his hand away from his face to look at her.

Only to find he was practically eye level with her chest. "Nice view."

"Don't make me smack you."

"I'm not even allowed to look?" He frowned.

"You're not allowed to be crass." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't do that," Zuko pouted. "It's tempting."

"You never quit, do you?"

"I like trying." He grinned. "Sometimes I succeed."

"With who, pray tell?"

"............People."

"Uh-huh." She grinned mockingly at him.

"Hey! It worked on the idiot!" he told her. "And...some other people."

"Sure it did." She ruffled his hair, still grinning.

"It did!" he insisted.

"Not on me," she said, still highly amused.

"Well, I wasn't trying," he folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't know whether I should be offended or relieved."

"I could start trying, you know, if you want to see a difference," her

smirked.

She gave him a withering look. "As though it would even work."

"I've gotten better at fighting sarcasm," Zuko chuckled. "Mai and the

idiot are masters at it."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And you think that was sarcasm?"

"I'm aware that you doubt me and my skills," He was starting to get

pretty cocky, grinning like he had something on his mind. His Sokka

problem was temporarily put on the back burner.

"Of course I do. You forget how well I know you, love." She grinned

again.

"I suck at flirting, but I'm very good at other things," he said, very

serious about this. Okay so maybe 'You're so beautiful when you hate

the world' wasn't a best-seller, but it had worked on Mai.

"Besides, in this light, your eyes are dazzling."

Ginny tossed her hair back and smirked. "Of course they are."

"Did you say something?" He blinked a few times. "I was too busy being

mesmerized by your stunning beauty." Okay, that one was from a movie

he saw at Maru's the other day while he was babysitting.

She couldn't help giggling at that one. "Okay, that just sounds

like you're trying too hard."

"I'm trying really hard here not to misbehave," he pouted, looking

incredibly cute and silly at the same time, "and it's very hard."

There are several things he could've meant there.

"Good thing you're succeeding." Ginny decided to take his words at face

value.

"Or what, hm?" He cocked his head to one side. "What if I decide to

slip up?"

"Zuko, please don't." Her expression went serious.

"Yeah...." Zuko said after a minute of pondering, frowning. "You're

right. 'specially not after all this... No."

"Sorry," she whispered, chewing on her lip.

"It's not your fault," he told her quietly, leaning in close. "As much

as I'd like to...you know... My priority is down the hall and very

much not happy. It'd be pretty damn hypocritical and stupid for me to

start pulling the same shit."

"Yeah," Ginny said, one corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

"I think it'd be best if you weren't still here when he decides to

face the world again..." Zuko said, looking around. "As it is, I'm

going to have to twist a few limbs just to make him talk. So..."

"I'll go," she said. "You need to talk to your idiot anyway."

"Smack your husband for me," he smirked.

"I will do no such thing," she said, amused, as she climbed off the

chair.

"Well, do something, and say it's for me," he told her. "Except kiss

him. That's...kind of gross." Still smirking, he unfolded himself from

the weird position he got into on the chair and stood.

"Idiot," she said fondly. "Give me a hug and I'll get out of here,

hmm?"

"Alright." He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly.

"I'll see you later," Ginny said, hugging him back. "I promise we'll

get together more often, okay?"

"Sounds good," Zuko patted her lightly on the arm before turning and

stalking off down the hall to find his idiot.

Ginny watched him all the way down the hall, then smiled to herself

and Disapparated. They'd be all right.


	18. Chapter 17

The fact that he wanted to make up badly enough to bake spoke volumes to Toph, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. It wasn't that she was against them making up; so much as that she still had little to go on with Sokka personally. Sure, he'd asked her out, but most opinions pointed toward the words 'rebound' and 'least likely to actually come to anything' when she asked or pondered about their sort-of-kind-of relationship. What Zuko had said about blaming someone for liking them wasn't too far off, she thought a bit sourly as she approached his room, ready to knock, only to trip. She cursed under her breath. That usually didn't happen to her.

"Sparky?" she knocked and then stared at the wooden door, memorizing the look of wood and metal.

"Hey you," Zuko opened the door for her and beamed.

Despite the fact he always felt some odd turbulent spark between them when Sokka was involved, he rather always liked Toph. She learned not to take things at face value, and had been the first to stick up for him when things were rocky. He would always be grateful to her. If she had been a few years older and less of a fun little-sister type, he might have even considered asking her out. But as she was twelve (usually), and he was considered an adult, there would be more complications than he cared for. Dealing with Sokka was proof enough alone why dating younger was a pain.

"Thanks for not...erm....beating me to a pulp." He smirked sheepishly and rumpled the back of his head, letting her in.

Toph grinned at him, tilting her head slightly as she took him in visually, as she did with everything since the bizarre change, just in case this 'way' of seeing left at the next second. It was odd. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't see the 'atrociousness' or the 'obviousness' of his scar. It seemed a proper part of him, no worse for the wear. Zuko was Zuko...or rather, Sparky. She supposed he was handsome, though she had only textbook definitions of things like beauty.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, sparky," she said, but kept smiling, hitting his shoulder as she often did to Sokka or Aang when she approved of something. "…so…" she paused, walking past him and turning, "…cookies, right?"

"Yeah, cookies," Zuko nodded with a small smile, coming up behind her.

It was an odd spur-of-the-moment suggestion. The other day he had been exploring the ruins by himself, trying to find something to take his mind off the constant ache in the pit of his stomach. The room he found and told her about appeared to have had once been a small kitchen of some sort. Apparently the Air Nomads had a taste for sweets. Something that showed clearly in the Avatar through his love for pies. The oven was large and wood-burning. He had recently stocked it with logs and kindling he found about. Nevertheless, the idea of baking cookies sounding unbelievably gay and lame. But if presenting them to the walking stomach that was Sokka would help call a truce, then it would be worth it.

"I bet he likes cookies a lot," Toph pointed at a picture on the shelf. She'd never seen Iroh of course, but of all the people in his life, Toph couldn't think of anyone else he would have a picture of…maybe his mom, she supposed. But he'd never mentioned her before and of course, his mom being a woman instead of an old man, well, that cinched who it must be. "Is it far, this room with the oven?" she stared up at him curiously, frowning slightly, blowing the hair out of her face.

She was rather caught off guard when she blew a small flame at the same time, and it caught onto her hair of course.

"He does," Zuko nodded, smiling the direction of the portrait of his uncle. He still wondered what happened to him. Perhaps when they get the chance, he, Toph, and Appa could go out looking for him.

"You have to be careful," he said with a frown, tucking the longer strands of her hair behind her ears. "It takes a lot to control."

"Follow me," he instructed and took the lead out of the room and down the hallway. "Found it the other day."

"You have an adventurous side," she commented thoughtfully, pursing her lips as she followed him, eyes wandering over the hall, as usual. "And I was being careful," she replied lately, scowling. "I didn't do it on purpose, if I had, I would've been very careful!" Speeding up a bit, she hurried to fall into step beside him, trying to just enjoy a bit of time that wasn't loaded with fights or silliness. The Sokka issue was why they were here but at the same time, she didn't want to think about it too much…not yet.

"…so how do you know how to cook?" she asked, still a little skeptical.

Chuckling, Zuko slowed his pace so the two could walk side by side. He couldn't say he was used to this, because we wasn't, but weird things had been happening to him left and right this past year or so. Every day there was something, and usually what he least expected. It was hard to believe it was only a few months ago he dreamt of nothing more than waking up as Fire Lord, with Mai by his side as his wife. Now he was stuck in some sort of sitcom, surrounded by a bunch of kids several years younger than him, some flamboyant weirdo with a mustache, and an idiot. An idiot that was for some time his idiot and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why that had changed. It was the main reason for his current bad mood.

"You pick up a few things on your own," he explained. "Uncle was good at tea, but not much else. Learned by trial and error, same as anything else. Mai really liked it though."

Arching a brow, Toph muffled a snort, sort of.

"Do you miss her?" she asked, something some people might not consider polite, but something she felt was relevant. Sometimes she wondered if her parents were okay, the only people she'd really left behind, but she never really 'missed' them.

"I know you miss him," she said quickly afterward, but also as a bit of a mutter, not waiting for an answer to either one as she began to play with her singed hair, a disgruntled look on her face. Sparky and snoozles…who would've thought?

She still didn't get it, but she wasn't ever blind or stupid enough to ignore it…even if a very young part of her wanted to.

"I do a bit," Zuko replied quietly, looking down at the ground for a moment as they walked. "Mai, I mean. Miss her...and the twins. But she's happier now, so I'm fine with that."

"As for him..." His tone grew distant. "...I just...Mm..." He was trying to avoid another awkward conversation, which always seemed to happen whenever Sokka came up. How do you tell a child, who was obviously trying to hide she was pining after him, the he loved him? Sure, she was young, and had the rest of her life to find boys, but still...He didn't want to be the jerk to break her heart.

"I don't like him or anything you know," she said, eyes wandering to her feet as they continued walking. "I mean I said yes because he seemed upset, but I know he doesn't really like me that way and I've never liked him that way, so....so...." she trailed off, doing her best to sound as wry and dry as usual. She pulled it off well enough, she thought as she finished quietly, "So, what I mean is, you can say you miss him you know. I asked." Maybe it was all a lie. Maybe she had liked Sokka from the beginning. But also, maybe sparky was in love with him...however weird that was. And maybe...maybe snoozles felt the same way, as doubly weird as that was.

"He's an idiot, and a brat, and...." Zuko kept spouting off anything he could use to describe him. It was hard to believe he had fallen for his prisoner and then set him free, only to follow some time later. He was a sarcastic jerk, reluctant and full of backtalk. Like Mai only with less empty threats and a much rougher disposition. He wanted nothing more than to knock his head off half the time. Yet nothing compared to the night Sokka had awkwardly presented him the necklace he had made, with the promise he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. So despite the lies, what was done behind the other's back, and anything else that stood in the way, Zuko was determined to make it work. "I've no idea what the hell I saw in him."

She didn't need her earth bending to sense such a lie but she wasn't certain quite what to do with such a lie at this time. Sometimes she might have ignored it; other times called him on it, and still other times, just marched him right over to Sokka and demanded they make up. But somehow none of those options seemed to be any good and so she shook her head, sighing. "I do," she said under her breath and more loudly said, "But you saw something." That was more the point, no matter how much Zuko said he didn't care and no matter how much she said she didn't care, they both really did, and had for some time now. "Are we close yet?" she asked, wiping her arms across her face quickly, blinking and then looking back at her feet. "We're almost at the edge of the temple." If she dragged her feet a little, she ignored that too, casting uncertain glances at Zuko now and then.

"It's right in here," Zuko replied, stopping in front of a small wooden door. The lock was broken from age so he was able to push it open and step right in. With a few swipes of his hand he lit several torches used for light until the room was bright. The large oven stood in the center surrounded by open crates and large multi-ton bags of flour opened and scattered on the ground. The floor was white and dusty. He tried to ignore what she had just said to him, but the look on his face told that it had sunk in.

Following him carefully, Toph looked around, but her eyes kept traveling back to Zuko, watching him for everything he didn't say. In the past, she could just feel each truth, but now she had to deal with it with normal vision, and so she observed the boy in front of her, and absently almost, the boy who had asked her out not a few days ago. This part of the temple was extra dusty, so old and unused, so she was surprised to sneeze a small flame, blinking at it in the air. Before anything could be said though, she spotted the oven and dashed for it, taking a sudden deep interest in it. Anything was better than wallowing quite suddenly in her own feelings, or in her lack of confidence, another thing she hated and wasn't familiar with.

"Wow, old," she coughed, waving a hand in front of her, kicking the oven a bit. "Is it safe to use?" she leaned near it, opening it to stick her head in experimentally, not her best move, but it was ancient and less than operational…and staying still wasn't really an option.

"Haven't tried it yet," Zuko replied with a shrug, coming up behind her. "I did restock the woodbox and cleaned it out though. It's very old-fashioned, not much in it that could break with age."

It was hard to believe all of this was practically as it was a hundred years ago. Almost like stepping back in time. The first time he had been there it had been for a thorough search and nothing more. Never really took the chance to explore. Did Aang used to come in this room, all that time ago? Would he even remember it?

"I picked some ginger and got some milk from one of the tagalongs," he said, showing her the sack he had slung over one shoulder. "Bag of sugar in there too that Katara had. She has a lot of random supplies stocked up from the last time you guys were in town. I'm surprised."

Toph just snorted.

"I'm not," she shook her head. "Sugar queen is always the mom," she said, but not unkindly and nodded absently as she stood back up, looking down at the stove, and at the room. She wondered about Aang, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Did he have memories of this place? Were they good ones? Or had he always been running away? They seemed to have that in common, whether they liked it or not.

"What kind of cookies?" she asked, poking at the ingredients through the bag over his shoulder. "Does he like these? I'm surprised I didn't know," she said in a considering tone but shrugged as if she didn't care, even if she cared more than made sense.

"Plain old sugar is boring," Zuko replied simply. He had grown accustomed to picking up the pace, spicing things up, when he was with Mai. So he no longer settled for ordinary. "Thinking we could try gingersnaps. I don't know if he'd like them or not, but they're good, and he is the walking stomach...." He had to bite back a laugh. Chances are even if it tasted back Sokka would still eat it. He licked a cave wall for what it counted.

"Try setting up the oven and I'll sort out the ingredients," he instructed, lowering the sack to the floor, a cloud of dust and flour formed in the air from the impact.

Rubbing her hands together, Toph nodded to him, but didn't say anything at first, sizing up the oven in an almost comical way. It was as if she saw the oven as a live opponent to be faced off with and she squared her shoulders as she wrinkled her nose with a slight frown and tried to focus on her firebending enough to not focus on anything else.

"Here goes nothing," she mumbled and tried to firebend. What happened was that she got the oven, but her hands continued on in true flaming fashion. Eyes widening even wider, she yelped as she stared, hands in front of her like alien objects. "Zuko!" she demanded his attention, not sure what to do, and not thinking enough as she called him by his actual name. She wasn't cut out for this weird style of bending, she'd always known, but this confirmed it for everyone else. It occurred to her that Sokka would find this hilarious.

"Do something, how do I make them stop, they're too warm?!" Toph waved her hands wildly and refrained from jumping up and down, but only barely. Cooking was perilous, she'd always assumed, and now she knew.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Zuko yelped, nearly dropping the bowl he had pulled out and dashed over to her. "Breathe! Close your fists! Let it go!" Luckily he was able to swat away the fire.

"Can't believe I got to teach you this too..." He grunted. "Remember what I showed the Avatar. Breathe, then..." He punched and a small ball of flame burst out but quickly dissolved into the air. "It's all about control."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"No, really? 'Cause I thought it was about doing a dance," she said, all sarcasm until she remembered recent events and groaned and said quickly, "You know what I mean!" At that, she punched the air with both fists, two powerful flames spurting forth and spinning into nothingness. Biting her lip unhappily, she eyed her hands, clenching and unclenching them. The palms were definitely aggravated. They missed the earth. Exhaling roughly, inclined to be sulky, she tapped the oven. "At least it's working," she said and then she nodded at the bowl. "Is it easy, you know it by heart?"

Sokka would love the cookies, she knew, especially if he didn't know who they were from or why. That known, he would still probably accept them regardless, which was Zuko's goal, she knew. Blinking as she eyed ingredients and did her best to keep busy, Toph shelved her feelings for what may or may not have felt like the millionth time.

Maybe she liked Sokka, not that she'd admit it, but she damn well wouldn't play second fiddle to sparky. She'd rather them have each other if it came down to that.

"So are you going to throw them at him one by one, or something more romantic?" she meant it as a casual tease, but it was less sincere than she'd hoped. It was weird being older, she didn't experience any of those ten years, but she felt older, like she 'got' more things, and maybe this was one of them, even if she disliked it.

It took a lot of will to keep reminding himself that under all that she was still twelve. And like a younger sibling to him. And twelve. And twelve? And yes, definitely twelve. But Zuko couldn't help but notice the rather nice rear end as well as certain other appendages she most definitely didn't have before. It made him feel like a filthy incestuous pervert. But her body reminded him of Mai, only with more muscle. And there was quite a lot he could say about Mai and her body. Most of them not good for polite company.

"I was thinking of just, you know, giving them to him," he replied with a smirk as he started pouring ingredients into the bowl. "But chucking them at his thick head sounds like an idea."

She laughed and nodded.

"Well, it's more fun," she said simply and began to poke around in the ingredients. "Just so we're clear, I'm not helping with the baking part…well, I'll stir," she amended and made a face. "But I could turn anything into a rock I think." Cooking just didn't fall under her list of 'skills I have', much less 'things I'm good at', or the like. Crossing her arms, as she crouched, continuing to peruse the food stuffs, she made thoughtful sounds like 'hm' and 'hm?' but not much else. How was she supposed to say: so are you going to go after my sort-of-kind-of-not-really-he-probably-still-wants-you-boyfriend?

There was no easy way around it. Really, Sokka wasn't exactly ideal for her, and she knew that right away. Maybe someone more like Zuko someday, today if she was older, but since she wasn't, that was silly, not to mention the very predicament they were in anyway, that being the matter of two given options liking each other.

…not that she cared.

Well, not much.

Now, Zuko was very grateful for the time he had spent with Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Especially on the beach. When he was surrounded by beautiful girls in their swimwear. Namely Mai, who he felt looked smoking in anything. But then there was Ty Lee in her skimpy bikini and of coursed he noticed the giant things staring him in the face but made a point of ignoring. It was definitely good training at a time like this. Even with Mai, sometimes it was hard to control wandering hands. But now...Nothing.

Breasts are not for staring and butts are not for groping. Ever.

Which may have been what driven him towards Sokka. Sokka didn't have boobs or a butt. Well, he did have a butt. But it was a different kind of butt. Not a round shapely gropable butt. Well, it was gropable but not in that way, but at least he didn't have a huge rack. So that could be a factor in the whole 'okay I really think I like this' deal he had going with Sokka. No embarrassing accidents. It just was.

"I'll handle the baking, but I'm sure you can handle mixing, yeah?" He smirked at her. "...You're eyes are pretty." Without the clouded covering that blinded her he could really see the vibrant color they were.

Toph almost tripped on nothing at that comment from what felt like nowhere, nowhere perhaps because she still couldn't, maybe for a few years yet, accept compliments. It wasn't her style and she didn't believe them anyway, but that was a different kind of blindness.

"They're green," is what she said, ignoring a slight blush she felt that was rather transparent due to her pale skin.

In answer to the rest, she took the bowl from him, only to stand there, feeling and looking dumb and quite without a spoon to mix it with. "You do have a spoon somewhere around here right?" She hadn't seen it while rummaging through the other ingredients and baking things.

"Snoozles is lucky," she said as almost an afterthought, but it had nothing to do with anything else she'd said, and she found herself looking away in a way much more awkward than she'd felt in years.

"Of course they're green," Zuko snorted, trying not to laugh. Girl acted like she had no idea she was a total babe. "But they look like some gem on a necklace my mom used to wear. Emerald, I think it was. Very pretty."

Then, noticing Toph was rather spoon-less, he reached into the sack and found a small metal one. The only one they had that Katara didn't need to cook supper with. "It's not the best I know but it'll work. That is, if you don't mind getting a bit dirty." He flashed her a grin.

He then pretended he didn't hear the line she said about Sokka, instead letting the content look on his face say it all.

"I am dirty all the time. Some cookie stuff isn't a problem," she said and then added, "Well, usually I am." She continued to stir, bits of batter flying here and there, which she might regret later when trying to get it out of her hair, but for the most part, it stayed in the bowl, or on her fingers since, well, the spoon was a normal spoon and not really cut out for baking things. Every now and then she'd think to mention Sokka again, but, discouraged, she ended up just keeping her mouth shut for once, sneaking glances all around the room, to Zuko, to the batter. It was nice, what he said about her eyes, even if she didn't know what an emerald looked like to test his comparison.

Done soon, she held the bowl out to him in one hand, rubbing her face with the other, only to scowl when she realized that it just got batter on her face. Usually she didn't mind being dirty, but this stuff was sticky too…but at least it tasted good.

"Good job, sparky," she nodded approval, idly licking some stray batter off of her fingers. "I admit, I'm impressed," she grinned.

Trying his best to ignore the fact she was licking a sticky pale substance off her face, Zuko smirked. "Told you."

He then took the bowl and spoon from her and became scooping tiny balls of batter onto a flat slab of stone. There was enough to make a good three dozen of them. It had a strong yet sweet scent to it already and they weren't even baked yet. After checking the oven, he lifted the slab and slid it in.

"In less than an hour there will be cookies," He told her with a smile. "You've got pretty steady hands there. You know....with the bowl and all..."

"Well, I am pretty good with my hands. I depend on them," she said, sitting not far from the oven to perch near and stare at it, willing the cookies to be done much more quickly. Waving one hand in front of her eyes, she said, "They're how I move and fight, and sort of how I see too, sometimes…I hope they're steady." Rocking back on her heels slightly, she rested her chin on her knees and stared again at the oven before letting her eyes wander back to Zuko.

"I think you need an apron," she said and used her right hand to point out various places the batter had splattered, slightly amused.

It was nice, in a sense, ignoring the purpose of the cookies and so on, just to hang out for the first time in quite a while.

"Oh...." Zuko glanced down at his shirt, noticing several spots were covered in pasty blotches. After pondering for a moment, he shrugged and pulled his shirt up and over his head, balled it up, and then tossed it aside. "Better," he commented. "The oven makes it really hot in here."

He stepped over and sat down next to Toph, pulling his legs into the lotus position. She was one of the nicest girls he had ever met. So down to earth, and true to herself, living up to no expectations except her own. Not crazy by any stretch of the imagination. Ever since arriving he just felt drawn to her, and still couldn't forgive himself for burning her feet. He never wanted to hurt anyone, but especially not the people he generally liked.

"Hey, you come from a yuppie family right?" He looked at her. "Did your parents ever try to pawn your off on some lame rich guy just to hook you up?"

Not entirely unaffected by Zuko losing his shirt, but also still completely able to be self-centered enough to not be too distracted, Toph began to pick at the space between her toes. Maybe it was disgusting, but if the others had gotten used to it, sparky would have to as well. That was all good and well of course, but she was still a bit foreign with the older body and older mind that came with this chaos change, so she kept her eyes sort of focused on the floor, near her feet, and so on.

"There were arrangements," she shrugged. "But it was sort of a 'when you turn this age' thing, and I never had to meet any of them…I don't think they even knew I existed actually, knowing my parents."

"If I hadn't asked Mai out on my own I bet her parents would've shoved her at me sooner or later," Zuko chuckled. "Hers are kind of nuts when it comes to climbing the social ladder."

"But I guess I'm not a total failure..." He said quietly, referring the relationship with Sokka as well as the one with Mai. "I do technically now have heirs to my name."

His gave drifted down to where she was messing around with her foot. It was unappealing, but then again, all the kids had their weird quirks. Like sneezing ten fit in the air, giggling over flatulence and belching, and other such things. One of the many reasons why he sometimes felt like he didn't fit in. "Bet your parents didn't approve of that either." He nodded towards what she was doing.

Arching a slightly annoyed brow as she looked over at him, she shot him a half smile, and said, "Well, it wasn't much of a problem, since they didn't really see me."

Finished with both rounds of toe picking, she went to dig her hands in the ground out of habit, but found the earth unyielding of course. Disturbed not for the first time about this, she brought her hands back up to hold her arms, unsettled as she set her chin on her knees again.

"They hid me from the world, including themselves," she said, and then, looking over at the newest addition to the group, continued, "I mean, I don't care or anything…it's just the way it was. Toe picking would've been fine compared to earth bending I think."

Biting her lower lip she shrugged yet again and laid back, arms behind her head as she stared up at the temple ceiling.

"Heirs are good though. You might need those when you're fire lord," she said, as conversational as if it was talk about the weather or a haircut.

The way Toph spoke about her parents reminded Zuko of his own in a way. For the longest time his father considered him a disgrace. By banishing him after the failed Agni Kai it slandered his name, making him a laughingstock everywhere where anyone knew who he was. To think he was foolish enough to struggle and connive just to get the love and respect he wanted from his father. The thought of it made his stomach churn. He was different now. A lot different.

"If I get to be," Zuko shrugged. "It wouldn't be smart to assume things like that yet. We still got a war to win."

He looked at her and then lightly brushed some of her hair away from her face. She really did have pretty features. Reminded him of a porcelain doll, even though he knew by now she was nowhere near as delicate. "...What do you want to do? You know, when all this is said and done. The war, I mean."

The sweet gesture both moved her and confused her, and she turned her head slightly, still laying down, to stare up at him curiously as she spoke.

"Well, I don't know what I want to do, but I do know, I don't want to go home…it's not my home," she said, and she said it slowly, thinking everything out for once. Maybe it was the low key nature of it just being the two of them, no pressure, or maybe it was something else, but it made her pause more before she said anything.

"And you will be fire lord," she stated firmly, eyes seeing so much as she stared straight at him, unwavering and unabashed, as was her tendency to be. "Aang's destiny is to take down your father. Your destiny is to fix what he's done in your own way…you said it before, to restore balance."

Toph was pretty sure she didn't have a grandiose destiny like Aang or Zuko, but then, neither did Sokka, nor Katara, and here they were.

It was okay.

This life still held more in it for her than anything at 'home' ever had and ever would.

"I don't know..." Zuko muttered softly, eyes darting around the room for a moment. "After my couple 'bouts as 'fire lord' I'm not sure I'm cut out for the job just yet. Maybe if he's....well....I'd rather Uncle take it. At least, until I'm ready."

After everything that just happened, Zuko had never been surer that he wasn't ready. He was still young, his mind to easy to control. His uncle had already reached his prime, and had plenty of wisdom and experience to make the right choices. Even if they did win the war, he felt his uncle should be the one to take the throne. Until he felt he knew enough to be trusted with such a responsibility.

Besides, the whole time, the crown really belonged to Iroh. Not his father, or anyone under his bloodline. So even if Ozai was killed, it would still feel stolen to him. The divine right to rule wasn't his.

"Other people know, even if you don't," Toph said, still looking up at him, clear and certain on this point. Even if he felt he wasn't ready yet, that didn't mean he wouldn't take the throne, sooner or later. And he would be a good fire lord, she thought, and she was not the easiest critic when it came to these sorts of things.

"But if you weren't fire lord….and your uncle was," she assumed the obvious, "…what would you want to do?" she propped herself up slightly on her elbows, not breaking eye contact. It occurred to her that if Katara would give him the time of day, she might find reason not to hate him or be so paranoid about him so often, and if Sokka would give him a real chance, they might be able to truce…among other things.

Blinking, she shook her head to clear it and asked, "I mean, what would you do instead? Travel…or….other things?"

"I've got a family now," Zuko replied with a sigh. "I mean, one of my own...Mai and I may not be together anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore them...I don't want to be a bad father. Was thinking of getting a nice place near Mai, spend time with them. Maybe serve under Uncle as an advisor or something, I don't know...."

When it came as to what would come of he and Sokka, Zuko was at a loss. He knew Aang would want to keep ties; he just looked like the type to never let a friend go, no matter where they lived. He wanted desperately to make up with him, to not be hated. Sokka wanted him dead, and he was more than willing to oblige. But there was no way he'd tell Toph that. Tell her that he'd be willing to let himself get killed if that was what Sokka wanted. She would probably flip out and accuse him of being crazy. Which he probably was, but now he was too desperate and just wanted to make things right again.

"I could see you opening up an earth bending school," he told her. "In a cave with the badgermoles. Teach the kids the true way of doing it."

She snorted in spite of the seriousness in his voice.

"I," she proclaimed, sitting up quickly, eyeing him directly. "…am a horrible teacher." She then flopped back on her back and chuckled. "But the badger moles are great teachers." Smile falling from her face, she turned on her side, so that her face was looking in the direction of the oven, her back to the runaway prince.

"You could do any of that. But don't think just because you're in the fire nation you can escape. You're stuck with us," she warned but also said for his benefit. He was avoiding Sokka in conversation but that made it all the more obvious he was on his mind. Toph didn't need her earth bending to be able to sense that. Brow knitting as she considered all the possible outcomes of this mess, she sighed under her breath.

"I'm not sure I like that idea," Zuko said playfully with a grin. "Having to spend the rest of my life with you lot."

Noticing she had turned her back to him, he looked around for a moment. Upon finding a good pile of flour, he picked some up, and planted a by flour handprint on her back. For some reason, he found this amusing, and snickered.

Before she could react, he got to his feet and tiptoed to the oven. "Smells like they're done, I'm going to check." He opened the iron door and peered inside. "Yep. Perfect." Quickly he pulled the slab out and set it aside. "Just need to cool some. Scolding hot things, they are."

Zuko then turned back to her, eyes directly fixated on hers, and smirked.

Rolling her eyes at the smirking prince, she then made a very immature face at him as if to say: well fine! But it wasn't a mean thing so much as an amused reaction.

"Stuck with us? How flattering," she remarked, no shortness on the sarcasm as she flexed her toes and stood up, walking over to smell the cookies, and staring at them uncertainly before reaching to get one anyway, regardless of the warning.

She dropped it the moment she picked it up, but luckily it didn't fall on the other cookies, and she scowled at her burned finger. Served her right, she supposed, but the stupid things took too long to bake, smelling good for forever and then making her wait for them too cool was too much to ask.

"They smell good," she commented, and looked longingly at the still cooling confectionaries. "I assume even though these are for kiss and make-up, that as the cooks, we can each have one," she mumbled, frowning at her burnt fingers. There was no mark but she decided she much preferred the neutral jing of earth to the unpredictability that came with heat or fire.

"Of course we can have one," Zuko stated as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet. "We have to make sure if they taste as good as they smell."

The possibility that the oven sent the scent of baking cookies through the whole temple crossed his mind. Sokka noticing it and getting hungry made Zuko feel that it was a suitable punishment. Also, he would have to be sure to set aside a few for Aang and the others. Sure, it was mostly for the 'kiss and make-up' as Toph so kindly stated, but he didn't want the others to feel left out. Plus he had a feeling Aang would really enjoy them. The fact alone that they had been cooked in the temple's oven would be enough to make the boy really feel at home.

After a couple of minutes Zuko held his hand over the cookies. "Should be a bit better. Go ahead and take one. I warned you they were hot." He smirked at her again. It was hard not to play with her. She made it too easy.

She shot him a look that said he could laugh, but at his own cost, but she took a cookie and ate it as happily as a child.

"Very good job, I think," she smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes as she said, "I think he'll be in your presence willingly before this smell finishes getting through the temple."

Tapping her fingers absently on the counter-like thing where the cookie slab rested, she looked around again. The temple was very beautiful. It suited what she understood of the airbender way of life.

"You do know, he would eat all of these himself in so little as half a second, right?" she asked Zuko, smiling despite the fact that the potential for a make-up between them spelled a break-up for her. It wasn't even real to begin with, she reasoned. He was upset and that was that. Zuko would feed him. Sokka would mellow out…if a bit charred still.

Things would go back to…well, their version of normal.

If things worked out, anyway.


	19. Chapter 18

Ginny Apparated into the park near her old flat in London, still scrubbing at her eye as she sat down on a nearby bench-- she didn't want to look like she'd been crying when Zuko got there. She couldn't believe the gall of him. At first, she had thought he just hadn't realised what he'd said -- he did have a tendency to say things without thinking about them first -- but then for him to go and say no, he knew exactly what he'd said, and he meant it, too... She was past even being angry, now. She was just hurt.

When he saw her appear, Zuko strode around from where he was brooding behind a tree. He raised a brow at her, the rest of his face expresionless. At first he wasn't sure exactly what to say or do, so he just walked over and dropped a small kiss to her forehead, hoping it was enough.

"Don't," she said softly, pushing at him.

"Oh...Sorry..." His cheeks turned pink for a moment and he looked away, biting his lip.

"I can't believe you said that," she said to the ground.

"So what?" He blinked. "It's the truth, isn't it? If there's one thing I learned it's that you shouldn't deny part of who you are."

"I'm not a goddamned whore!" she screamed, whirling on him.

"Right, 'cause you don't get paid," he replied sarcastically.

"How dare you," she hissed, shooting to her feet, and slapped him with all the force she could muster.

Hardly even fazed, Zuko blinked a few times and touched his hand to his face for a second. He shrugged, smirking, and grabbed her hand fast enough to pin it behind her back. "You're such a good girl. Clearly I'm mistaken."

"Don't," she protested, her eyes filling with tears again. "You keep talking about how much you care about me, and then you pull shite like this?"

"I do care," he replied quietly. "I care enough to acknowledge your flaws and like you regardless. Yeah, I lack tact, but I'm just a person. And so are you."

"I'm not a fucking whore," she said furiously, the tears starting to run down her face. "I don't sleep around, I don't fuck people for money." She shoved at him. The anger was coming back. "Do you see me being unfaithful to my husband?"

"How the fuck should I know? You don't talk to me anymore!" he snapped, glaring at her.

"I'm glad you think so little of me that you need proof that I wouldn't," she said bitterly, ignoring the reprimand, and reached up with one hand to swipe at her eyes.

"You don't exactly have a good track record for it," he reminded her, his tone cold.

"Oh, so we're going back to this again, are we?" she snapped. "How many times do I have to apologise for that? How guilty do I have to feel before you'll leave it the hell alone?"

"Until it stops hurting," he replied bitterly. "Perhaps someone should fuck with you a bit for you to fully comprehend how much it can shatter a person."

"You really think I wanted to hurt you?" she exclaimed disbelievingly. "Zuko, I still wish -- gods, if there had been any way not to hurt you..." She shook her head.

"You can...." He sighed. "I don't know. Just...... Fuck."

A thought occurred to her. "...Are you trying to get back at me or something? For hurting you, by hurting me?" More tears escaped.

"No! I'd never! What makes you think...?" he stuttered. "Look... Just... Fuck.... Stop....crying. Please?" He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "Stop."

"So then why would you do something that you know hurts me?" Ginny asked, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. She didn't hug him back, but she didn't push him away, either; she just stood there.

"So then I could make it better," Zuko replied softly, his chin resting on top of her head.

"But why'd you say it to begin with?" She sniffled.

"I'm human," was all he could think of to answer with.

"You said, Because that's kind of what you are," she quoted.

"It's true though," he said softly, stroking her shoulder.

Ginny was at a complete loss for words. He still didn't get it, did he? She made an odd choking sound as she fought back a sob and stepped away from him.

"...What?... W-What?" He stammered. "Are you okay?"

"How-- you don't--" She stopped, unable to formulate a response. Finally she shook her head, turned, and started to walk away from him.

"Hey.... Wait-" He grabbed her hard by the shoulder and pulled her flush back up against him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

She didn't look at him. "And maybe, if you appeared to understand at all, I'd forgive you for that." She shrugged out of his grasp.

"And maybe you'd understand the fact that I lo-- ...care about you regardless," he said quietly.

Zuko wasn't fooling her; Ginny knew exactly what he'd been about to say. She sighed and closed her eyes. Sometimes she thought this would be so much easier if he hated her for breaking his heart.

"Can you answer one question for me, Zuko?" she asked finally.

He blinked slowly and looked at her. "What?"

"What is it you think you did that's hurting me so badly?" she asked, turning to face him as she did so that he could see that she'd started crying again.

"I know I insulted you..." Zuko replied, looking down at the ground.

"Mostly I ignore people when they do that," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "You still haven't answered my question, Zuko."

".....I don't know, okay?" He sighed.

She stared at him for a moment, hurt that he apparently didn't know her well enough to understand. Again she turned and started to walk away.

"Stop," he barked. The tone he used was authoritive. Not one he normally used with her.

She did so, sighing heavily. "I can't keep doing this, Zuko," she said without looking at him.

"Can't keep doing what?" His tone hadn't changed. He was trying hard to control his temper.

"Making myself vulnerable to you like this." She closed her eyes, trying to force herself to stop crying.

"Why not?" he asked, his voice lowering, showing a hint of concern. Biting his lip, he slowly stepped over to her and put his arms around her.

"Because it hurts too much, dammit!" She shrugged away from him. "Do you know what 'whore' means, Zuko? A whore is someone who will sleep with anyone. They don't have emotional attachments, they don't care, because all they want is a cheap fuck." She looked straight at him. She'd started crying again, but she ignored it. "Is that what you think I am?"

"....No..." Zuko replied finally, his voice soft. He glanced to the side. "I don't...."

"So then why'd you say it?" Ginny cried.

"...You wouldn't understand," he told her, turning away. "I'll just go now."

On any other day, she would have stopped him and forced him to explain. Worked things out. But right now, she was hurt and tired and she just wanted to go home and get Light to hold her for a while. "...all right," she said finally, a note of finality in her voice. "Goodbye, Zuko."

Before he walked off he tossed his cellphone towards her over his shoulder. "Keep it. You're the only person I use it for anyway."

That was the last response she'd been expecting from him, and only her Quidditch-honed reflexes kept the phone from shattering on the pavement. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"Obviously, you need things sugar-coated for you. You need a safety bubble. I can't give you that," he spat. "Because I tell it like it is. Have you ever thought that by calling you a whore it helps me keep a mental distance from you? To not want you again? I still love you. It's hard enough not to touch you. If all I seem to do is make you cry then fuck it. I'm done."

Ginny was so surprised that she actually took a step back. She'd sort of known it, all along, but she'd never thought he'd actually come right out and admit that he still loved her. Suspecting it and hearing him say it were two very different things, she was discovering.

"You don't know how much it hurts, do you? You're always the one rejecting, telling people off. But what would you do if someone did that to you? Someone you cared about more than you should? You don't have to work for acceptance. My family rejected me, both of the women I love too. Do you know how much ass I had to kiss, how long I had to walk on eggshells, how fucking hard I had to work, just to earn the trust of a bunch of kids? No. I'm sure if you just walked over and giggled, you'd be welcomed in with open arms. I'm fucking jealous of you." He stopped, his back still to her, fists clenching.

There was a long silence as Ginny tried to formulate a response. "...That isn't something I chose, Zuko," she said finally. "I got very, very lucky. And--" She hesitated, wondering whether this was something she should actually tell him. But she couldn't lose him over this, so after a moment she went on, "I do still care about you, you know. Far more than I should. Do you know how important you are to me? So hearing you call me a whore--" She cut herself off. This had ceased to be just about her pain.

"Mai is the only one who was there. Who really understands. And she even rejected me. I didn't tell the Avatar, because he just knows. He's been through more than anyone, even you or I, could possibly ever know or comprehend." Zuko turned around to face her, still keeping his distance. "Now you see why I don't let myself get attached to people. It only leads to disaster. Just look at what happened to Uncle!" He finally was able to lower his voice so the whole city wouldn't hear. "Keeping an emotional distance from you is the only way I can deal. If that means making you mad all the time, well, I'd rather have you be mad and still talking to me, then to reject me completely because I can't erase my feelings."

"You haven't always kept an emotional distance from me," Ginny pointed out softly.

"I realized that I have to now," he replied. "It's what keeps me from doing stupid, ridiculous things."

"Like calling me a whore," Ginny persisted. She still wasn't ready to give that one up yet.

"By calling you that, it gives me reason to feel you're undesirable. Status thing, remember?" Zuko said, lowering his gaze.

"I wish that made it hurt any less."

"Besides there are much stupider things I could do."

"Still not helping, Zuko."

"Hey, since we're finally expressing ourselves, let's go all out." He smirked. "There's got to be some things you always wanted to do or say to me. Well, go ahead. I won't think different of you for it."

Her mouth opened and closed a few times. She knew there were, but damned if she could think of any of them after he'd put her on the spot like that. "I... I don't..."

"It's alright," he held his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She gave him a withering look.

"You should fell comfortable, you know, talking to me...."

"I do," she said, surprised.

"Then why can't you tell me what you really think?" he asked.

"What are you looking for me to say to you?" she asked him.

"Something blatantly honest. For some reason, I get this feeling you're always holding back." he told her.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine. You want to play the honesty game? You go first."

"Fine," he replied flatly. "Close your eyes."

She did so, frowning. "What are you going to do?"

"Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her with a small smile, standing closer to her.

"You're making me nervous," she commented.

"You don't trust me?" He frowned. "That hurts."

" 'Course I trust you," she replied without even thinking about it. "You're still making me nervous."

"Just close your eyes," he whispered.

"They are closed!"

Chuckling softly, he cupped her face with one hand and gave her soft kiss on the cheek. "See? The world didn't end. You're not on fire."

Ginny opened one eye and squinted at him. "And here I thought you were going to do something really impressive."

"Anything 'more impressive' might result in my permanent end," Zuko replied with a smirk.

"Oh. Right." She flushed.

"Unless of course you don't 'kiss and tell' as Mai used to tell Ty Lee when she was getting pestered." He was still smirking at her. "We're just friends. I've no intention of stealing you away."

"Zuko honestly."

He was silent for a minute, glancing away. His cheeks briefly flushed pink before he bit his lip. "...This place is kind of depressing."

Ginny heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over her face. "Zuko. Do you at least understand why you hurt me so much?"

"I do," He nodded slowly. "...I'm sorry."

"Why d'you think it hurt me?" She'd already told him exactly why, but she wanted to make certain he'd been paying attention.

"...Because you care about me," Zuko replied, his cheeks turning pink again.

"And?"

"And I know you better than that..." he told her.

"And?" she persisted. She was still waiting for him to admit that he knew it wasn't true.

"....And..." His voice softened. "I know it's not true..." He glanced away again, sighing softly, before he looked her in the eye. "...There's something I should tell you..."

She blinked at him, startled by the sudden change in topic. "What?"

"When the Avat-... Aang....led the first Invasion.... He failed. Hard. During that time I cornered my father and pretty much told him I was leaving and that I was severing all ties with the family. ...He then baited me with the truth about my mother...and tried to kill me. ...We're going to go back there...soon...because time is running out...and going back there is practically a death sentence. I never told this to anyone...but I don't think I'll make it back alive... I'm just not skilled enough... It was just a fluke...." His voice was low yet serious. As he was talking he took her hand in his. "And well.... You're more to me than a friend. If things had been different..." He trailed off, lowering his gaze.

Some of this, Ginny had known already. But the last part... She stared in disbelief, her hand hanging loose in his grip. He couldn't just run off and get himself killed. "What, if things had been different?" she asked, not altogether certain she wanted to know.

"I would..... Heh," he gave her a small, pained smile and shook his head. "It's nothing. You're a lot happier now and I'm glad. It's just..." Zuko took a moment to think this bit through. He didn't want to come off as judgmental or anything. "You saw how...you know... he reacted to Aiden at first...and well... The truth is... I hate him because his personality is well...a lot like my father's, I'll leave it at that." His gaze shifted to the side and he bit his lip. "When I go... I won't just fight for the cause...or for Mai and mine... I'll fight for you and Aiden too." He paused for a moment. "And well... Azula might use you as a trap.... So take care of yourself?"

Ginny decided to let his commentary about her husband go for the time being. She just looked at him for a minute, gnawing on her lip. Finally she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "If you get yourself killed I will never ever forgive you," she told him.

"Not my choice, babe," he laughed, hugging her back. "But I'll try my best not to."

"I mean it," she said fiercely. "I am not losing you."

"As long as the war's over and things are fine, that's all that really matters," he told her. "...And if I do make it back... Mai and I'll probably get back together. We've been keeping in contact lately." He flashed her a smile.

"I just want you to be happy. And not dead." She glared at him for emphasis.

"All right," Zuko patted her on the shoulder. "I promise that I'll try not to die."

"No." Ginny shook her head. "Promise you won't." She knew how much he hated breaking promises, and if that was what it took to get him to come back alive...

He blinked a few times. "...Fine. I promise."

"Promise, Zuko."

"I promise, I won't die..." He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"Good. I'm not going to lose you," she repeated.

"You won't. But you gotta loosen up, okay? It's no fun if we're constantly mad at each other," he said with a smirk. "It's more fun if, you know, there's make-up sex to look forward to or something. Without it it's just annoying."

"Zuko."

"I'm not arguing with you anymore," he folded his arms across his chest and pouted.

She heaved a sigh, amused despite herself. "No, you aren't."

"Good." He nodded. " 'Cause now I need food. You've no idea how hard it is to get a decent meal at a run-down old temple. And Maru won't let me raid his kitchen anymore."

"Shocking," Ginny drawled.

"Feed me." He pouted.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh all right. Come on. There's a good restaurant near here."

"Thank you." He smiled like a kid in a candy shop with a hundred dollars in their pocket.


	20. Chapter 19

Ginny Apparated to the park in London where she'd agreed to meet Zuko, still not totally sure she even wanted to see him. She was still sort of hurt that he didn't seem to have even tried to understand why what he'd done had bothered her so much. Lost in thought, she wandered over to the swingset and dropped onto one of the swings.

At this late hour, there were no children in the park, so she had the swingset to herself. She wrapped her arms around the chains and swung gently back and forth as she waited.

"Hey, how's it going?" Zuko called quietly as he dropped from a tree branch to sit on the top bar of the swingset. The side of his face that wasn't scarred was black and blue, a small ring around his eye.

Ginny yelped and jumped. "Don't do that," she snapped, tipping her head back to look up at him.

"It's fun," he replied with a hint of indignance as he flipped over and crawled down one of the supporting bars until he could easily jump to the ground. "Been awhile since we've been here."

"Yes," she agreed, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. "...Why'd Maru punch you?" she asked after a moment, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"Because that's his form of punctuation when he lectures," he told her calmly. "Kept going on and on about 'feelings' and kept calling me an asshole. Whatever."

"Good," she said shortly, transferring her stare to the ground.

"You're not exactly innocent, yourself," he remarked as he stepped behind her to loosely wrap his arms around her waist. "Don't like being made fun of, now, do you?"

"Do not touch me," she said, her voice cold, twisting away from him in the swing.

"I don't think I will," he said with a hint of playfulness before he went back to being serious. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Too late," she snapped.

"You don't mean that," Zuko told her, kneeling down slightly so he could be more level with her. "You're just angry. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry. But you were being hurtful too."

"You laughed at me, Zuko."

"You laugh at me all the time," he reminded her.

"But I don't mean it. You know I don't. That-- that--" she bit back all the nasty words she was thinking of to describe Misa. After all, she had promised him. "She called me a bitch, and you thought it was funny that I was hurt and angry."

"Other people agreed with her too," he pointed out. "Don't take it so seriously. It's an endearing character trait."

"It doesn't matter what anyone else said!" she cried. "What should have been important was that I was hurt!"

"I already told you I was sorry." He frowned. "What more do you want?"

"I want you to understand," she whispered, finally looking up at him with eyes full of hurt.

"I do understand," he replied softly, hugging her close against him.

"Then explain to me what it is you did wrong," she said, trying to push him away.

"I laughed at you even though your feelings were hurt." He sighed. "Come on... It's all right."

"You know, most people, if they did that, it wouldn't bother me," she said conversationally.

"Then why does what I say matter so much?"

"Because I actually care what you think of me," she said, her voice softer this time.

"But why?" he frowned.

"Why wouldn't I? You're one of my best friends. You care what I think of you, don't you?"

"Eh....Maybe," he shrugged.

She looked up at him. "Don't bullshit me. I can tell," she said flatly.

"I still think you're a bitch," he whispered in her ear. "But I like it."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. No response made itself immediately available.

"It's something I find attractive," he told her, his voice still low and somewhat sultry. "In case you haven't noticed, Mai's somewhat of a bitch too. Probably more so than you are. But that's what I like. It's hot. 'Good' girls are boring."

"Zuko, stop," she protested weakly.

He chuckled softly and pulled her back flush against him. "Stop what?"

Ginny sighed heavily and relaxed. "Why do I always end up forgiving you so easily?" she asked rhetorically.

"Because I'm awesome?" he suggested with a smirk and then kissed her on the cheek.

"No." She stood up. "Come on, this isn't comfortable at all." She dragged him over to the grassy area bordering the swingset and dropped to the ground again.

He followed and sat down beside her, looking at her as if debating what to do next. "So..." Zuko said quietly. "We did the "make up".... Now where's the 'kiss' part?"

"Oh, Zuko, honestly--" She swatted at him, deliberately missing.

"Please?" He did his best pitiful wide-eyed pouty expression. "You didn't do anything for my birthday..."

"Oh, did I miss it?" she exclaimed. "Oh, Zuko, I'm sorry!"

"You did," Zuko frowned. "'Maru I can forgive....but Mai...and you... Well, Mai already made up for it. Your turn."

"Oh, I'm sorry, love." She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I'm half-tempted to say my gift is forgiving you for being a prick, but I'll be nicer than that."

Laughing, he shifted himself so he was able to pin her down on the ground and hover over her, smirking playfully. "You'd better."

Ginny folded her arms across her chest and tried to glare at him, but the expression came out more amused than anything. "Oh, and now what."

"Hmm..." Zuko glanced around, considering the best choice of action. With a grin, he plucked several blades of grass and sprinkled them on her face. "I win."

She spluttered, reaching up to swat at him again. "Zuko! Oh, honestly." she giggled.

He slid off and laid beside her, smirking. "You know you missed this."

"What, you throwing grass at me?" She giggled at him some more.

"Us," he replied softly. "Like this."

She offered him a smile. "You know you're one of my best friends," she said, rolling onto her side and propping her head up on a fist. "I do wish I could see you more often."

"I'm sorry..." He sighed, biting his lip. "I've just been so busy... There's only a month or so until the comet....And we have to be ready..."

"I know you are. I'd rather you be ready." She rolled onto her stomach, folding her hands under her chin. "And it's not just you that's been busy. You were right, I haven't made much effort."

"I miss you... A lot..." Zuko told her quietly. "Despite all the people.... It's still lonely, you know? And I never get much time to myself...to relax..."

"I know." She propped herself up on her elbows. "Anything I can do to help..."

"NO!" he replied defensively, without hesitation, cheeks flushing red for a moment. "I'm fine... We're fine... You're better here... It's too dangerous..." He was about to add 'and I still don't trust myself' but didn't.

"Aww, Zuko." She smiled. It was nice for someone to worry over her for once. "Well, anything I can do that's not dangerous, then."

He was going to say something along the lines of "Oh gods please just close your eyes and cover your ears while I have my wicked way with you because I'm a desperate asshole...." but thought better of it. Instead he chewed his lip and replied with a grunt and a shrug.

"Hey." She poked him in the side. "Really, Zuko. I want to help you win."

"Eh..." He shifted his gaze to the side. "We're okay, really. It's the Avatar. We've got it good."

"Don't avoid me." She poked at him again.

"It's fine," he assured her. "Really, it is."

"I believe you. But the offer stands." Ginny pulled up a piece of grass and started shredding it. "I'm getting better at healing, did you know?"

"Really?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"Mm-hmm. I've been over on the Gurren Lagann a few times, trying to help out there. I can't actually go out and fight in their big war, y'know, but I want to help, so..." she shrugged. "My options are kind of limited."

"You can help me in other ways, you know," he smirked. "....Kidding, of course."

"Zuko!" She threw her bits of grass in his face.

He sputtered and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Is that a yes?"

"Oh, Zuko, honestly."

"You know you like it...." he teased.

"What, you being an idiot? No, no that's just me putting up with you." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do that again and I'll bite it off," he warned with a smirk.

"You'll do no such thing, it would be very bad for your health."

"I think my health can manage," he grinned.

"Not to mention your lifespan," she deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm still debating whether or not it's worth the risk," he joked.

"You are ridiculous." She threw more grass at him.

He laughed and grabbed her so he could pull her on top of him. "But that's what makes me likable..."

She blew a raspberry at him. "Gods know why."

"You know why..." He smirked and then nipped at her lip. "Told you I'd bite it."

Ginny yelped and fell sideways off his chest. "Zuko! You can't do that!"

"Can't do what?" he blinked, looking very confused.

"Act -- like -- that," she stuttered. "You just can't."

"Act....like what?" His brow furrowed in confused. "I didn't hurt you...did I?"

"Please don't." She gave him an anguished look.

"Don't...what?" he whispered, the tone hinting of worry.

"If you... make a pass at me, Light'll kill you," she said, struggling to keep her voice steady and not meeting his eyes.

"Mai would too...." he mumbled then looked at her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "He doesn't have to know...." He nuzzled against her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Zuko, don't," she said, unable to stop herself from shivering.

"It's alright..." Zuko whispered, gently grabbing her hand. "Do you really not want this? Honestly? You... Not him."

"Don't make me lie to you," she replied, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Then don't lie," he frowned.

She pressed her lips together and stared fixedly at the grass, refusing to answer him.

Zuko gave her hand a squeeze, not taking his gaze off her. "Come on... It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know you're not."

"Then tell me," he whispered.

She shook her head again, not even sure what he was asking her to tell him anymore, but knowing nonetheless that she didn't want to.

He pressed his lips to her cheek then pulled away so his breath puffed against the shell of her ear. "...What's wrong? You can tell me..."

"Stop." She shivered again.

"What?" He asked her again.

"You have Mai. I have Light. Stop."

"I don't really want to...." he confessed, his voice a soft murmur.

"Please don't do this now," she begged him. "We just made up."

"You're really fuckin' me up," he laughed softly, chewing on his lip as he ran his hand through his hair. "You know that?"

"What d'you mean?" She finally looked up at him, frowning.

"Nothing..." He replied, shaking his head. "It's a guy thing."

"Don't give me that." The frown deepened.

"It's fine..." He sighed. "Living in practically solitary confinement makes me easily excitable... I guess."

She stared at him openmouthed for a second, then looked away, gnawing on her lip. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he shrugged. "Really. No big deal. I'm a loser, so I'm used to it."

"No you aren't," Ginny protested weakly.

"I am too," he laughed. "Can't even get laid."

She gave a pathetic laugh. "Pregnant women generally don't, either."

"I'd still do it," he teased.

She flushed and turned her attention to the grass again.

"Seriously," he told her quietly. "You couldn't not look great if you tried."

Ginny snorted. "Sure."

"It's true," he assured her, lightly running his hand along her leg. "I wouldn't lie about that. You're pretty."

She shivered again, jerking away from him. "I know."

"You look great." he murmured softly, brushing his lips against her neck. "If anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying and deserve to get shot."

"Goddammit Zuko stop making me want you!" she finally exclaimed, shoving herself away from him and scrambling to her feet.

He leapt to his feet as well and gently grabbed her by the hand. "....I'm sorry."

"I can't want you," she said, her voice trembling, and jerked her hand away. "I'm married. To Light. I'm pregnant, for gods' sake."

"And I love Mai..." He said quielty then sighed. "Maybe...that's why I want it more... Fuck..."

"I'm sorry," she said, still shaking slightly, and backed up a few more steps.

He grabbed her harshly by the arm, without meaning to, and held onto her waist. "Don't be..." Zuko murmuring, his lips dangerously close to her ear. It was obvious he was trying so hard not to do anything.

"Don't do this," she whispered pleadingly.

He tried to distract himself. To think of really unappealing things. Like naked Maru...but it really wasn't working all that well. "I wouldn't do anything you wouldn't like..." he said quietly. One hand found itself crawling up her stomach.

"Don't," she protested again, shoving at him. "You don't really want to do this." She couldn't let him even if he did.

"I don't even know what I want anymore..." he told her, holding her even tighter against him so every bit of muscle could be felt, including his racing heartbeat.

"Stop. Please," she begged him, still trying to get away from him. He was far stronger than she was, however, and she wasn't having any luck.

".....I'm sorry," he murmured in her ear, after trailing a few light kisses down her jaw. His grip loosened slightly. 'I don't know what I'm doing..."

"Zuko, stop, you can't do this, you're not allowed--" She squirmed away from his lips, hating the fact that she could hear fright and tears in her voice.

He had stopped for the most part, now only holding her. Biting his lip, he rested his forehead against her shoulder for a moment. "...Why aren't you fighting me?"

"Please let me go," she said again, deliberately ignoring the question.

"Not until you answer me," Zuko told her, his tone a little firmer and less desperate.

"I am fighting you. Let me go." She pushed against his chest again.

"I know you better than that," he replied softly. "You're not."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"...You might have to..." He hugged her again.

"I don't want to turn this into another fight." Tears had started escaping her eyes without her realising it was even happening. "Zuko, please, let me go." She struggled to get some leverage against him.

"No... Don't.... Don't cry.... Shhhh....." he murmured and without even really noticing what he was doing, he kissed her. It was only for a second, and he pulled back, looking terrified.

Ginny yelped and wrenched herself away from him, stumbling backward several steps. A hand flew up to cover her mouth as she began crying in earnest, fear completely overwhelming her.

He turned away from her. "...I'd better go... Before I fuck up anymore...."

"Oh god, oh god oh god," she whispered to herself, only half-hearing him. At some distant level she realised that she was shaking, and not breathing properly, and probably that meant she was going into shock, but just now she was too scared to be overly concerned with it.

He could hear her breathing - like something about to die. Against his better judgement he turned around and grabbed her. "...You're all right. You're fine."

"No. He'll kill you, oh god, he'll kill you, oh god oh god..." She could feel her legs trying to give out from underneath her.

He sat down and pulled her onto his lap. "No. He won't. It's all right." His tone was reassuring, showing he had full confidence that nothing was going to happen.

"No, no," she sobbed, scrambling off his lap and crawling backwards away from him.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Really."

"Goddammit what is your problem?!" she screamed at him suddenly.

"I don't have a problem," he replied sharply.

"Bullshit," she snarled. "This is your fault, dammit, Zuko!"

"Maybe you are!" He snapped, glaring at her.

"What?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't give up on things all that easily," he told her. "--if at all. If I did I would've have spent over three fucking years working my ass off to get my father's approval to return home. After all the shit those children put me through, do you think, if I were someone who gave up easily, that I would still be sticking it out to help them? No. What makes you think we're any different?"

"...What the hell does that have to do with anything?" she demanded. "We're talking about how you probably just got yourself killed and I'm asking you what the fuck is your damned problem!"

"I'm not going to die," he informed her, as if he knew this all along. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be for long... You forget, there are different forces in my world. " He grabbed her wrist and drew her in close, pinning her hand behind her back. "There are several things I fear. Your pathetic husband and his magic powers aren't one of them. There are only two people who could end me and it would be with honor, and he isn't in that list either." His voice grew cold. "Have you forgotten I still feel something for you? I don't know why, considering Mai is the greatest woman ever born in history, but I do. I've been waiting for you to slip up. I know you well enough to know your limits and self control. And hey, if you did...let go. I'd rather it be with someone who really gives a damn about you than some pathetic whelp you pick up just because he thinks you're pretty. "

Ginny instinctively leaned away from him as he dragged her close. "I-- Zuko..." she began, and then trailed off, realising she had no idea how to respond. The anger was draining out of her quickly -- she was really only angry because she was scared for him, she knew -- and now she was just confused. She couldn't understand why he still felt anything for her at all after what she'd done to him. His little speech about Light wasn't helping, either; she knew her husband loved her, but Zuko knew how to prey on her moments of doubt. And what did he mean, 'let go'?

"You're starting to think poorly of yourself, aren't you? That you aren't as pretty as you were before? Only an idiot would believe that..." His nails dug into her wrist. "I know you. Few things hold your liking for long. It won't be much longer before you go utterly stir-crazy and seek something else. Why I should I allow the bastard to have any more bounties on other people? His biggest threat, when it comes to you, should be me. So, why not? I've got nothing to lose. Mai's too busy with the drooling little things to consider a real relationship. And there's no way in hell I'd go for one of those kids again. You may think low of my intelligence, but I'm not that dense. And wouldn't you like a small thrill? A little bit of danger?" His voice lowered as he neared her ear. "Or are you too much of a good little girl now? Nothing more than a wispy little damsel?"

"I am not going to cheat on my husband while I am pregnant with his child," she snapped, glaring at him.

"Do you really think he cares about that?" Zuko laughed darkly. "He only wants to kill me because he doesn't like to lose. I'm a threat because you're still feeling guilty and that is because you still care. And how can you be so sure he's not going around behind your back? He does spend and awfully long time at that job of his. How do you know he doesn't make a pit stop or two on his way home? He does have a thing for certain kinds of boys... I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was doing something of the sort right now."

"I've already ruined one relationship with a man I loved, I'm not doing it again," she said, her voice icy. She didn't need to defend her husband to Zuko; she trusted him, and that was really all that mattered.

"You wouldn't be ruining it per say..." He smirked. "I know my mother had another man....most likely my uncle... and my father didn't care because he didn't know. He was busy. But...she was happy..." His voice faltered a little at the mentioning of his mother, remembering that her banishment was his fault. "I can give you things you want. I'm not a kid anymore. I've changed. I'm better."

"Yes, you are," she agreed seriously. "Until you go and do something like tell me to cheat on my husband with you!" The last words were screamed in his face.

He blinked at her, looking unfazed. "You do realize yelling lost its effect on me, right? Not to mention we're kinda out in the open... Don't make me kiss you again to shut you up."

Ginny shook her head sadly. "And you wonder why I never see you anymore. You keep pulling shite like this."

"Not always," he smirked. "Only when I like you."

"I am really not in the mood for you to try to be funny right now," she said quietly.

His grip on her changed from hostile to comforting as he pulled her into a partial hug. "You want me to make you some tea?"

"At the moment I don't much like you, actually," she said, her voice still calm.

"Fine," he sighed, letting go of her. "Whatever... Just...forget it, okay? I'm an idiot."

She stepped back out of his reach, before he could change his mind and grab her again. "Yes, you are," she agreed. "I came here so we could stop fighting. I want you to be my friend. But until you stop... doing things like this, that can't happen."

"You can't blame a guy for trying, only if he succeeds or fails," he shrugged, feigning nonchalance to cover up his bitterness.

"Yes I can," she disagreed. "You lost your right to try anything with me a long time ago."

He let out a low, brief laugh. "Heh. I'd like to think I've got more of a right than anyone else. Like I said before...just forget it."

She narrowed her eyes. "Like you said before, what?"

"Forget it!" he snapped, clenching his fist. A small burst of flame came off his hand.

Ginny didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow at him as if to say, Oh, really.

"You won't even admit that you still want me," he snarled. "You're not that hard to read. Thinking and doing are completely different things. If I acted on everything I thought and felt you and a lot of other people would be in a lot worse shape. If you can't even admit it, how the hell do you expect me to get over it?"

"You're wrong," she said, shaking her head. "Yes, I think you're attractive. That doesn't mean anything, Zuko. You can think someone's attractive without desiring them. You keep talking about how you don't want to lose me," she continued, folding her arms. "How you still want to be my friend. You get mad at me because we hardly ever talk anymore. But every time I see you, you do something to make me wonder why I keep trying. What am I supposed to do, Zuko?"

"I don't know!" He lashed out, sending a streak of red fire before turning his back to her.

Tired of his temper, she flicked her wand and silently cast a shielding spell. The flame flickered out uselessly against it as she sighed and said, "Look, Zuko. I'm just trying to get a straight answer out of you, here."

"I don't know what else to say to you," he said quietly.

"You haven't said anything helpful!" She threw her arms into the air in exasperation. "All you've done is shout and try to get me to cheat on my husband and then throw fire at me." She dropped her hands to her hips and glared at him.

"I already told you what I think and how I feel," he snapped, looking over his shoulder to glare back at her. "What more do you want?"

"...I want to know if we even can be friends anymore," she said after a moment.

"..." He was silent for a minute, refusing to look at her. "...Yes. We can."

"But not if you keep doing this," she said. She hated that she was having to make conditions on her friendship with him, but...

"Whatever," he sighed.

"I'm serious, Zuko."'

He shrugged. "I know."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"I mean it. I can't--" She closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face. "I love my husband," she said finally. "More than anything. The only thing I've ever wanted out of life is to have my own family, with someone who loves me... and I'm finally there. If anything happened to ruin that..." She trailed off. "I don't think I could handle it."

"...Fine," he sighed, still not looking at her.

"Please tell me you understand," she said softly.

"I do," he nodded.

"Good." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "I'm going home," she added. "Please don't make me regret this."

"You won't. Have fun with that," he quipped, then leapt on top of the swingset and perched there, looking morbid.

Ginny stood watching him for a moment. Despite his promises, she still, somehow, felt worried. After a moment she sighed. "See you later, love," she said, and Disapparated.


	21. Chapter 20

The sky was starting to glow orange as the sun got ready to set. Zuko sat perched atop a large rock as he watched the waves crash against the shore of Ember Island. He sighed, blowing aside a rogue strand of hair that fell across his face. There was no easy way to do this, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

Ginny Apparated onto the beach, spotting Zuko almost immediately. "Hey," she called, lifting one hand to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked up at him.

He leapt off the rock, landing ever so gracefully on all fours. After brushing the sand and dust off he walked over to her and smiled. "Hey..." He tried his best to cover up his surprise to see she was already starting to show that she was pregnant. Had he really been away that long?

She beamed and hugged him. She was in a good mood today. "Hi!"

He hugged her back for longer than he normally would have. There was a sad gleam in his eyes when he pulled away, still smiling almost half-heartedly at her. "Look, um...." Zuko said quietly, running his hand through his hair. "There's a few things I should tell you.... Before...you know.... Yeah."

She tilted her head and blinked at him, frowning slightly. Something was wrong. He looked sad. "What's the matter, love?"

"...This is it," he sighed, then hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. His hands slipped into his pockets as his gaze drifted to the side for a moment before he resumed looking at her. "It's nothing like before. This is all or nothing. No more second chances. There's a chance... and it's more likely now than it's ever been.... that I won't come back. This might be the last time I ever see you." It was obvious he had attempted to rehearse earlier, as more effort was put into not letting his voice falter. He was trying not to cry.

Ginny opened her mouth, then closed it again. She really had no idea what to say. "...I refuse to believe that," she finally said, her voice shaking slightly. She would not entertain the possibility of losing him. He meant too much to her, and to too many other people as well.

"I know I'm not facing my father...." he told her, his expression remaining the same. "But Azula is just as bad, if not worse. In case you haven't noticed, so far I've barely been able to match her, let alone beat her. Mostly it's just been luck and getting my ass out of there when it looks like I'm about to get destroyed. But I can't run to fight another day anymore. That day is now." Zuko trained so hard over the years not to let weakness show. He hadn't felt this stressed, this worried, since he left Mai to join the Avatar. It took most of his willpower to keep from breaking down. "It's for a good cause. The best in the world. If I died, it would be with honor. I'm doing the right thing." Finally his voice cracked, and he covered his face with his hand. "But I'm still afraid..."

"Oh... oh, Zuko." Distressed, she sat down, pulling on his arm until he sat next to her. "C'mere." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I know you're scared," she said. "Frankly, I'm kind of glad you're scared. It means you'll be more careful."

"There's so much at stake..." he said quietly. "It's not killing her I have a problem with, I could do that with a smile... But the chance of losing is so high... Even though I know the comet will make me just as strong as any of them... But she's vicious. If she pulls a cheap trick I don't know how to expect... That's it. I'm dead."

"Please stop saying that." She leaned forward, peering at him through his hair. "You've got to be more optimistic, Zuko. If you go after her thinking you can't win..." she trailed off.

"I don't think I can though!" He looked at her, wide-eyed. "I haven't had years of hard training drilled into me. I wasn't an obsessive perfectionist. I'm good, but compared to her I'm mediocre at best. I can only hope she's as messed up in the head as I've heard and her emotional distress screws with her skill...."

She offered him a small smile. "I believe in you."

That caught him off guard. His expression lit up for a moment. "...You do?"

"'Course," she said.

"You know..." Zuko's gaze shifted to the side. "You don't have to pity me or anything. Or worry... I kinda uh... Yeah. I'm over everything. Nothing against you. You're fine." He gave her a sheepish smile.

Ginny shrugged. "I still believe in you. And I'm still going to worry."

"Thanks." He smirked. "You're a good friend."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm not losing you," she said confidently. "I refuse to allow it. You are going to beat your sister, and you'll be Fire Lord."

He gently held her with one arm and sighed, "Yeah...Maybe...But what I was trying to say was... Remember last year?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be idiotic, Zuko. Yes."

"I'm over all that." His tone was firm.

She looked up at him in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." She put her head back on his shoulder, genuinely relieved. Hopefully now they could go back to being real friends, like they had been before.

"I've got better things to seek now anyway," he shrugged. "Also I have my Mai back. I'm good."

"Better things? Oh thanks," she teased.

"Ten times better." he replied with a faux serious face.

"Berk." She grinned.

"Berk?" Zuko raised a brow.

"Berk. Arse. Idiot. Prick," she offered.

"I am not," he replied indignantly. "Cruel woman."

"Bah. You love me."

"Maybe," he said teasingly, laughing.

"Maybe nothing," she giggled. "I missed you," she said after a moment.

He hugged her closer to him. "Did you now?"

"Yes." She snuggled up against him. "I'm glad you Mai are all right again," she said after a moment.

"It's only been a year," he laughed. "...Guess I deserved it."

"Yes. You did," Ginny agreed, very seriously.

"...I can hear some hate there..." He frowned. "What?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. You deserve to be happy. You and Mai are good together."

"You think so?" He smirked.

Ginny nodded. "And she'll be a good Fire Lady."

"Pffft. I'll have to start using that term," he chuckled. "My mother was still a princess."

"Oh." She blinked. "Well. Whatever. You know what I mean."

"I know," he smirked. "...I missed this."

She smiled again. "Me too."

He grinned at her. "You are quite the conversationalist today."

She looked at him sideways, eyes narrowed. "I can't tell if you're trying to be funny, or..."

"I'm joking," he pouted.

She halfheartedly smacked his leg. "Be nice."

"Why?" He continued to pout.

"Because I'm pregnant!" she chirped.

"That doesn't mean I have to be 'nice'," he grinned.

"My hormones are unbalanced." She gave him her best puppy-eyed look, pouting. "If you hurt my feelings I might start to cry."

"But then I'd have to hug you," his grin turned to a cocky smirk. "And is that such a bad thing?"

"You are completely incapable of dealing with me crying," Ginny retorted.

"How do you know?" He frowned.

"Because I've known you for almost two years."

"But I've changed." Zuko pointed out with a raised finger.

"That doesn't mean you're any better at dealing with crying women," she said, amused.

"Try me," he looked slightly indignant.

"Contrary to what you may believe, not all women can cry on command," she told him dryly.

"You're fat," he said sharply, trying desperately hard to keep a straight face, only to dissolve into laughter seconds later.

Her response was to raise an eyebrow at him. "Wow."

"What?" He managed to calm down after a minute.

"You're ridiculous," she said fondly, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"Hey..." He ducked down and pawed her hand away. "I was trying to prove something."

"What's that?" she asked, still grinning.

"That I can handle you," he replied.

"Oh, yes, and you've proved that admirably," she said, her voice sarcastic but her expression amused.

"You're mean," he pouted.

"Pregnant!" she said again. "I'm entitled. So ha."

"Mai wasn't this mean," he frowned. "She just made me get her shit."

"Well, when I hit eight months and I can't see my feet I'll make you my errand boy, too, will that make you feel better?" she joked.

"Right like I can be your errand boy from a whole 'nother world." He rolled his eyes.

"So then being mean to you now is my only chance!" she said loftily.

"...Right." His gaze shifted to the ground.

"Hey," she said, dropping the act. "What's wrong?" She nudged him with a foot.

"I'm just thinking." He forced a smile.

Ginny scooted over until she was sitting next to him again and rested her chin on his shoulder. "What." She blinked up at him through her hair.

"I can't help but think...." He sighed. "That.... I might not be here."

"I still refuse to entertain the possibility," she said softly.

"What would you do if it were reality?" Zuko frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I told you," she said firmly. "It isn't reality. It won't be reality. You are going to win, and you'll be Fire Lord." She folded her arms and glared at him, daring him to disagree with her.

He shifted slightly. "What makes you so sure?"

"What is this, the third time I've said it?" She raised an eyebrow. "I believe in you. I know you can do it."

"But why?" he pushed, not understanding how she could just believe in him for no reason.

She shrugged. "You're you. You're an intelligent man, you stand firm in your convictions, you don't give up on things you really believe in. And as far as your sister goes," she added, knowing that would be his next argument, "she may have an edge on you as far as your Firebending ability, but for one, you're not insane--" she gave him an amused look. "And for another, you have friends, real friends who are going to stand by you. Your sister can't say that of herself."

"Friends are good..." He agreed. "But....not when it comes to this. I have to face her alone. She's ruthless. Vicious. I don't want to risk anyone's life with her."

"That wasn't my point, Zuko," she said gently.

"I don't know..." He sighed, flopping back on the ground.

"Stop trying to avoid me, Zuko." She pushed at him with her foot.

"....What?" He pouted. "I'm not avoiding anything...."

"You are so. Stop it." She smiled at him. "You'll be all right. I have faith in you."

"Hm...." He looked to the side. "Maybe."

"Zuko, look at me."

"What?" He looked at her, pouting.

"You'll be okay," she said with conviction.

"You're not psychic," he pointed out.

"You're still not getting it."

"Still not getting what?" He frowned.

"It's not complicated, Zuko. I believe in you, so I know you'll be all right."

Zuko continued to frown at her. "...Fine."

Ginny sighed. "Why are you looking at me like that."

"Because you seem so sure."

"Because I am."

"So if I died tomorrow. Like, got hit by a train...." he offered. "What would you do?"

She blinked at him. Well, that was an odd question. "I'd be upset. I'd grieve for you. What else would I do?"

"Now.... Let's say this train were Azula..." He gave her a sheepish half-smile.

"I'd remove her spine through her nostrils," Ginny said cheerfully.

"Like you could," he chuckled.

"Oh, damn straight I could. I'd kill her." She meant it, too.

"Yeah, right," he stuck his tongue out.

"You've never seen me really angry, Zuko," she reminded him. "I fought in a war. I can stop Maru when he's gone evil dead in his tracks. I'd take your sister down in an instant if she -- if I had to fight her."

"She's not your responsibility!" he snapped.

"If she killed you, I would kill her," she snapped back. "I'd kill her and I'd laugh at her corpse."

"Someone else would get to her before you," he smirked.

"Like who."

"Mai."

Ginny grinned. It was not a happy expression. "Somehow I think Mai and I combined could do more damage than even Azula would be able to take."

"Glad to hear you so confident," he laughed.

She shrugged. "Like I said. You've never seen me fight before. And if Azula hurt you, she wouldn't get away with it."

"I've fought you before," his eyes narrowed.

"Nooo, you've had me throw things at you before. Big difference."

"You've thrown spells and shit at me too," he reminded her.

"Not when I was really trying."

"I don't want to kill you," he said airily.

"What has that got to do with the price of tea in China?" she asked.

"If we were to fight, I'd kill you," he shrugged.

She smirked. "Are you so sure of that?"

"Highly."

"And what makes you so sure, hmm? I mean really."

"Because you wouldn't have the heart to kill me," he grinned.

"No," she agreed. "But I'd kill Azula."

"Psh." He rolled his eyes.

She shrugged. "If you don't believe me, you don't believe me. You asked what I'd do. I told you."

"I have to sneeze." he said quietly.

"...Okay?"

"Thought you should know."

"Zuko, I don't care." She giggled.

"Did you know there are venemous lobstershrimp on this beach?" he asked.

"Venomous what?" she laughed.

"Lobstershrimp."

"...Are you sure you don't have attention deficit disorder?" she asked, amused.

"No, I do not." He didn't want to admit he just wanted to avoid finishing the previous conversation.

She gave him a Look that indicated she knew exactly what he was doing but she was going to let him get away with it. "Sit up. My back hurts, I want to lean on you."

"Fine," he sat up, bracing himself with one arm behind him. "Go ahead."

Ginny turned and propped herself up against his side. "Ohhh," she sighed with relief. "You wouldn't think this'd be enough to affect me, but apparently it is," she said, resting one hand on her stomach.

"You wanted it." He smirked.

"I did," she said softly, a small smile crossing her face.

"Then you're not allowed to complain."

"Damn straight I am, it's my prerogative as a pregnant woman," she said haughtily.

"Psh." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't try to pretend like you don't know all this, I'm sure you went through it with Mai."

"I did," he said. "But it was different."

"Hmm? How's that?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at him.

"She was terrified." He lowered his gaze.

"Because of her parents?"

"Many reasons."

"Poor thing," she murmured, looking down at her stomach again. She'd been ecstatic when she found out she was pregnant. She couldn't begin to imagine how Mai must have felt.

"You've got a lot more security than she did," he said quietly.

She nodded. "I'm lucky," she said, her voice soft.

"I feel terrible," he admitted. "I can tell it's difficult for her."

"Don't worry," she said suddenly, twisting around to hug him. "You'll be good parents."

"I'm terrible with kids," Zuko confessed. "I can barely tolerate Aang sometimes."

She wriggled around until she could hug him again, properly, resting her head on his shoulder. "You'll be a good daddy. I know you will."

"Maybe," he sighed.

"No maybe."

"Yes maybe," he replied flatly.

She shook her head as she turned to look at him. "No, Zuko," she said, reaching up to cup his cheek in one hand and force him to look at her. "You're a good man. There's so much love in your heart. You'll be a good father." She smiled.

"If you say so," he shrugged. His biggest worry was the stress of life would turn him into his own father. He'd already seen signs of it several times, and it frightened him.

"I do say so." She grinned and patted his cheek. "And we both know I'm always right."

"Not always." He smirked. "No one is."

"I'm trying to be funny here." She pushed him away from her, though not with any real force. "Don't ruin the funny."

"You're terrible at that," he laughed.

"Oh, screw you," she laughed, picking up a handful of sand and throwing it at him.

"You are!" He laughed again, throwing some back at her. "See, I guess I could be funny. Because apparently, half the universe finds me ridiculous. And I rant a lot. 'Maru's funny because he's a man and wears makeup, not to mention he's a 'mommy' and fucking crazy to boot. Your husband is funny because he takes himself way too seriously. Despite having a good sense of humor, I don't think you have the ability to be intentionally funny."

"Oh, no?" She grinned at him. "No? Okay. Hold that thought." She scooped up a huge handful of sand, stood up, and poured it all on Zuko's head. "Now that's funny," she said, laughing.

"You got sand in my hair," he said flatly, scowling.

"I did," she said, giggling at him.

"Awww, poor Zuko."

"You can wash it," he folded his arms.

"Naahhhh. This is a good look for you." She reached out and mussed his hair, scattering sand onto his shoulders. "Very... grunge."

"I worked real hard to be all clean and handsome for you." He was sulking.

"That must have taken hours," she taunted him.

"It is!" He pulled his knees to his chest. "There's always a mess, and dirt and mud flying everywhere."

"Can you tell my heart is breaking for you? Because it is. What a hardship that must be!" she cried, throwing her arms in the air and laughing.

Frowning, he shuffled himself so he was turned away from her. Then he tried to brush himself off. "...You're still not funny."

"Well, I think I'm funny, so bugger you." Still giggling, she flung her arms out to the side and started spinning in circles.

He glanced over his shoulder. "You look like a psychotic freak."

"I don't care!" She kept spinning.

"Tch. Whatever," he rolled his eyes.

Still giggling, she stopped twirling and dropped down onto the sand, flopping onto her back. "This place is beautiful," she said.

"You think so?" He peered at her.

"Mhm. There are so many stars." Night had long since fallen, and thousands of tiny lights twinkled in the sky.

He shifted so he was on his knees and crawled over so he could hover over her and look at her. "Are you on something?"

"Don't be silly. That would be bad for the baby."

"You never know..." He smirked.

She reached up to smack him. "You know me better than that. Would I do anything that might endanger my baby's life?"

"You're abusive," he whined, rubbing where she hit him.

"Whine, whine."

"Shut up," he pouted.

She closed her eyes, her lips curving in a smile. "I like this place."

"I think you've already established this," Zuko said, smirking. He lay on his side beside her.

She opened one eye and squinted at him. "Thank you."

"What?" He laughed.

She just smiled and closed her eyes again, wriggling a bit to settle more comfortably into the sand.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm. Enjoying the sea air."

"Have you never been to a beach before?"

"'Course I have. I love the beach. I can surf you know," she said.

"What's that?" He arched a brow.

"What's what, surfing? Ooohhh, it's fun. You have a surfboard, that's a big board shaped like this--" She held up her hands. "And you balance on it and ride the waves."

"And then you fall?" He made a face.

"Well. Yes, sometimes. That's part of the point, is to learn how to balance so you don't fall," she told him.

"Oh," he shrugged.

"It's fun. And lots of lovely muscly boys do it." She waggled her eyebrows and grinned mischeviously.

"Muscly boys, eh?" He smirked. "What're you implying?"

"That I like muscly boys." She giggled at him.

"Your husband isn't all that 'muscly', fit at most," he shrugged. "What'd you do there?"

"Oh, he does all right." She gave him a Cheshire grin.

"If you like muscle so much, take a look at this..." He undid the sash and pulled apart the folds to his shirt to expose a six-pack. "Training for killing the baddest people in the world is a lot of work."

"Yes, you're very impressive," she said, not even bothering to look. "I know what you look like, I was sleeping with you for four months."

"I look better now," he replied defensivley. "My lifestyle's been better."

"Okay."

"You're no fun," he said, leaning back slightly.

"I'm loads of fun. Just not when I'm four months pregnant," she countered.

"Oh whatever." He rolled his eyes at her.

Ginny sighed happily and closed her eyes again. "Where are we, exactly?" she asked after a minute. "I wasn't terribly clear on that."

"Ember Island," he replied. "One of the smaller islands. It's mostly a vacation retreat for the wealthy."

"Oohhh. Resort island. Does that mean there's a big fancy house here somewhere?" she wondered.

"Mine's at the top of the hill," he pointed behind him.

"Oohhh, really?" She sat up and turned around, peering up the hill. It was too dark to see anything more than a bulky shape at the top. "Is it all locked up?"

"Not right now," he shook his head. "Everyone else is up there. We cleaned it up some."

"Everyone else?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Aang, Sokka... We kinda, erm....had to leave the Air Temple."

"Oh okay." She looked back up toward the house again. "How big is it exactly?"

"Pretty big," he shrugged. "It's been in the family for years. The biggest on the island, at least."

"I imagine so, it does belong to the royal family." She gnawed on her lip for a moment. "Think we could sneak in without bothering anyone?"

"We can try." He shrugged.

"Hurrah!" She climbed to her feet. "C'mon!"

"Shhhh!" He frowned. "If we're sneaking by, you have to be quiet." He then took her by the hand and led her up the dirt path up the hill, dodging large rocks along the way.

"Okay, shhhhhing," she whispered, following him.

Zuko managed to guide her to the top of the hill without making a lot of noise. He then took her around towards the back where there was a small door. It appeared to have been put there as a servants' entrace, but hadn't been used in nearly a decade. Wincing, he grabbed the handle and shoved the door a couple of times before it burst open. He leapt back, paranoid someone heard, but when no one came running, he took her by the hand again and guided her inside. Through the dusty kitched, down a hallway to a staircase, and then up the narrow wooden steps to a narrow hallway. Along the hall the walls were littered with paintings of previous Fire Lords and their families. As they neared the end the paintings showed more familiar faces. He brought her to a door near the very end and opened it. "This is my room."

"You know, I could have magiced the door open for you," she pointed out as she stepped into the room. "Ooooooooohhhh. Zuko, this place is gorgeous!"

"Whatever," he muttered, locking the door behind them. "And...yeah.... I guess. Pardon the mess. We only just settled here. I haven't actually stayed in this room since I was a little kid... Back when my mom... Yeah..."

"Wow," she said, wandering over to the massive bed that dominated the room. She traced the carvings on the posts with a fingertip. "This thing is gorgeous. And definitely an antique."

"I think my dad slept in it when he was my age," he grimaced. Zuko did not want to think about what the teenaged version of his father did in that bed.

"Eeeeuuurgh," Ginny said, and took three large steps away from it.

"Eh.... Whatever." He shrugged and then proceeded to flop back on it.

She grinned. "How often you bounce on that thing as a kid?"

"You bounce on beds?" He raised a brow.

"Of course!" She gave him a scandalised look. "What kind of six-year-old doesn't?"

"I wasn't allowed to do that when I was a kid," he replied. "Actually, I couldn't do a lot of things. It was a strict and regulated life."

"That's horrible. I demand that you bounce now to make up for it."

"Oh there's a certain kind of bouncing I'd like to do," he chuckled. "But sadly, you're not a candidate."

"Har, har, Zuko. Ooh, you have a sword on your wall!" She crossed the room and took it down out of the mounting brackets. "Heavier than mine," she commented, holding it out in front of her.

"Well," he sat up slightly. "It was made to be handles by someone of my build."

"Mhm." She waved it about a bit to get a better idea of its weight and then ran through one of the drills he had taught her.

"Careful...." He cautioned.

"Quiet, I'm practising. And besides, I know how to handle a live blade without hurting myself." She did another of the drills, then paused, frowning. "Hmm. My center of gravity's off."

"Gee, I wonder why," he said dryly.

"You should be proud of me for being able to tell and also for remembering my drills," she said.

"I am. He nodded. "I'd be careful if I were you, though. You look damn hot with a lethal weapon."

"Really?" She smiled.

"Yeah," he smirked.

"Well, hurrah me," she said, pleased with herself. "I can still be attractive while I'm pregnant. Good to know."

"You can't not be attractive." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Awww. Thanks, Zuko."

"Did you just want to come here to play with my sword...?" He then flopped over and burried his head in his pillow. That sounded so wrong.

"...I'm going to ignore the obvious really awful joke there, and put this back where I found it," she said, amused, and hung the sword back on the wall. "You have any other neat toys in here?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Dig around..." He didn't hear footsteps approach outside the door.

"'Kay." Given free reign to indulge her nosiness -- or at least, free reign she decided to interpret it -- she started opening random drawers. Mostly they were full of clothes or unidentifiable junk.

There was a knock on the door. "You in there?" It was Suki.

"Shit..." He grumbled. "What?"

Ginny looked up from the drawer full of knives and throwing stars she had just discovered. "Who's that?"

"Suki," he replied before opening the door. "What?"

"Wow, someone got bit by a sandcrab..." Suki rolled her eyes and peered in. "Oh. New girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped.

"Be nice, Zuko," Ginny said, waving a throwing knife at him. "Hi. I'm Ginny."

"Hi," Suki waved with a small smile. "I just came to tell you dinner's ready. But uh... I see you're busy here. Or about to be. So I'll just go tell Katara you'll be late..." She made an awkward face.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes.

"I mean it, Zuko," Ginny called. "Hey, look what I can do." She threw the knife, embedding it in the center of a wooden scrollwork wall hanging.

"Ack!" Zuko shrieked and ran to retrieve the knife. "Are you crazy? This shit is like five hundred years old!"

"Careful," Suki chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "You might make him explode."

"Eh, making him explode every once in a while is fun." Ginny grinned.

"He explodes often," Suki sighed. "It's not fun for us... Hey, aren't you the girl Sokka hates?"

Zuko snickered behind his hand.

"You just have to know how to handle him. And yes, that's me." She rolled her eyes. "Though honestly, I forget what the last thing he got mad at me was about. Something idiotic, knowing him."

"I remember why," Zuko said and then fake-coughed.

"In any case..." Suki shrugged. "Yeah. You guys aren't as quiet as you think. We were wondering why you were sneaking around. Go figure he'd be up here with a girl." She hid a small laugh behind her hand.

"See, Zuko, this is why I said you should've let me magic us in," she said, turning back to the drawer full of pointy things. "Maru would be ashamed."

"It's an old house," Suki pointed out, even though she wasn't really sure what "magic" was. "No matter what you would've made noise. I heard Aang try to sneak cookies last night, and Toph calls him 'Twinkle Toes'."

"I don't want you using magic here anyway," Zuko said quietly.

She looked up, blinking at him in confusion. "Why not?"

"I don't want anything drawing attention to us." He then got down low and said softly in her ear. "Sokka's the only one who knows about your abilities. Katara and Toph don't remember. And Aang never really learned much about you. We need as little commotion as possible."

Suki had sense not to ask anything. "Should I leave you two be? Felt like I was interrupting something."

"Ohh," she said softly. "Well, I can just not until I have to leave. No, it's all right," she added, raising her voice.

"It's funny," Suki smirked. "I wouldn't think Zuko had many friends. But in the last week he's been running off all over the place. Aang's been kind of worried."

"I'm sorry..." Zuko didn't want to bother explaining that he wanted to tie up loose ends and make amends with certain people before they went off to fight the Fire Lord. "I'll be around the next couple of weeks. I promise."

"I'll make him be good," Ginny assured Suki, winking.

"No, sorry, you no longer have that power over me," he teased.

Suki looked confused for a minute before snickering.

"Oh, yes I do," she said.

"No you don't," he said dismissively.

"Do you argue often?" Suki quipped.

"I always win," Ginny said smugly.

"Not today," Zuko smirked.

"You're worse than Toph and Katara..." Suki rolled her eyes.

"Aww, Zuko's known me long enough to know I don't really mean it, don't you, love," Ginny said, digging in the drawer again.

"How long have you two known each other?" Suki asked.

"A long time," Zuko replied, leaning against the bedpost with his arms folded across his chest. He did a quick once over of Ginny's but before looking towards the wall, sulkily.

"Two years, give or take," Ginny clarified. "Zuko, why are you pouting?" she asked, without even turning around.

"Because he can," Suki teased.

"Shut up..." He grumbled. "Stupid girls..."

"Ooooo." Ginny pulled a throwing star out of the drawer and held it up to the light. "This is pretty. Zuko, stop pouting. You have nothing to pout about."

"I'm not pouting..." He looked at the floor.

"You're going to make him worse..." Suki started snickering. "Hey, let me see that..." She stalked over and took the star from her.

"Hmmm. He's definitely been known to be worse than that." She tilted her head curiously. "What about it?"

"Wow...." Suki's eyes widened. "This must be a good couple hundred years old. And it's still as sharp as ever. This could sell on the market for five hundred gold, at least. Maybe even more because it comes from this house."

"This shit belongs to my family,"Zuko said huffily. "If I find anything missing, I'll tear a few limbs."

"You will do no such thing," Ginny said, eyeing him.

"It's not your stuff," he replied sharply. "I can do as I please."

"Wow..." Suki frowned. "What'd you do to him?"

"I don't know," she said, bewildered. She crossed the room to stand in front of him, peeking up at him under his bangs. "Zuko. What's the matter?" she asked softly.

"Nothing.." He sighed, looking away from her. "Just thinking is all."

"Zukooooo." She reached up and brushed his hair out of his face. "What is it."

"I told you," he grumbled. 'It's nothing." He then walked over the the window and leaned against the windowsill, overlooking the ocean.

"It is not nothing," Ginny disagreed, following him. "Zuko, come on." She stuck her chin over his shoulder, looking sideways at him.

"Should I go now?" Suki asked, biting her lip, feeling awkward. "I'm sure Sokka is wondering what's taking me so long..."

"Uhm--" Ginny hesitated for a moment, then went back across the room to speak to Suki. "I'm going to try to... un-sulk him," she said softly. "Usually, it works, but only if I can get him to talk to me alone..."

"Okay, I'll go back then." Suki nodded. "I don't want them worrying about me anyway. Nice meeting you." She then stepped out and closed the door behind her.


	22. Chapter 21

"It's nothing," Zuko said quietly.

"You too," Ginny said, offering Suki a smile as she left.

As the door closed she sighed, and then went back over to stand behind Zuko. "Please don't shut down on me, love," she said, resting a hand on his back.

"The last time I was in this room..." he said quietly. "Was when I was a kid. Before everything. Back when things were...nice."

"What about it?" She stepped a bit closer to him, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. Physical contact seemed to help him.

"Now... I'm here again," he continued, not looking at her. "And everything's changed."

"That's what usually happens," she said gently. "Why is it bothering you so much?"

"I was last here with my mother...." His voice was quiet.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, she thought. Rather than saying anything she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him.

He murmured softly when she hugged him, and turned his head to look at her. However, he said nothing.

"It'll be all right," she whispered after a long silence.

"So...." He turned around to face her, resting his hands on her waist. "What was that thing you didn't want to tell me about a few days ago?"

"Oh-- Zuko, I don't..." she trailed off, looking away from him. She really didn't want to revisit the subject.

"It really concerns me..." He frowned. "Why won't you tell me about it? It can't be that bad."

"Yes it can," she disagreed.

"No...." He shook his head. "You've nothing to worry about. No matter what you say, nothing will change. I'm with Mai. Nothing you say will change how I feel. I'm just worried that something is bothering you so terribly."

She sighed. "It's not that. It's not -- it's not you. It's the thing."

"What thing?" He arched a brow. "Tell me."

Did she really want to have this conversation with him? she wondered. Wouldn't he just think it was proving his opinion of her husband right?

Then again, he wasn't likely to leave her alone until she told him, she reasoned. She'd done the same thing to him in the past.

"Sometimes I wonder why Light asked me to marry him," she said finally, her voice flat.

"Here...." Zuko turned her around and guided her to the bed. "Lie down and explain. I think I know a way to help you relax."

"'Kay." She let him lead her to the bed and help her climb onto it, and then she lay down and curled up into a little ball with her hands tucked under her cheek. "I just... I don't..." She stopped to collect her thoughts. "There's a big difference between dating somebody and being married to them," she managed after a moment.

"There is," he agreed, settling in behind her. "You never really know someone until you live with them..." He let out a hot breath that tickled the back of her neck, and then placed his hands on her shoulders. They were warm. "Which I kind of did for a little while, in case you don't remember." He thought of that one time he went up against Azula and had almost gotten killed. He'd gone to her flat to recover.

She nodded. "That isn't my point, though. When I married Light, my entire life changed. I moved to a strange country where I didn't speak the language. For all intents and purposes I gave up my career, too, I think I've done maybe six shoots since then. Light... doesn't seem to have been affected. I don't know if he's resisting it or if he just doesn't care and either way if it's true why did he ask me to marry him?" She was talking very quickly so she wouldn't have to think too much about what she was saying. "I could have just dated him. I'd have been happy just to be with him at all. I can't imagine he did it just for me. So why?"

"This is just my opinion, but..." He bit his lip. His hands heated to a temperature that wasn't hot enough to burn, and he then started massaging your shoulders. "He might just want to have you around for the sake of having you around. There are guys out there who just pride in having a woman waiting for them at home, and someone there to sleep with. Without really caring for them and what they want. And...or... He may have just done it because you decided you'd rather be with him.... Rather be with him than me. Who you spent a lot of time with, and loved you unconditionally. Who went out on a limb to get you anything you wanted and tried to protect you. The fact you gave all that up... Probably hit some sort of nerve in him. Made him think 'Well if she gave all that up for me... Well then okay. If it's me she wants, then I'll be what she gets.' And he also probably did it to make sure he had you for himself. And that anything else you did you'd have to have his permission. If you were just dating, hate to say it, you may have been more likely to get around. But marriage is binding. And something in him knew that if he married you it'd pretty much keep you in a case." He sighed, pausing for a second, as if thinking. "But that's just what I think."

"I just want him to love me," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "That's all."

"I'm going to tell you something...." His voice lowered. "You probably don't want to hear it, but I think you should. All the times I confronted him, before and after you two hooked up... He never said he loved you. I think I said it more. When I went to beat the shit out of him, he was just defending his own ass. I can tell just by how he fought he wasn't doing it for anyone but himself. And the things I tell him, he reacts to them as more of a sting to his pride than anything. I do believe he cares for you as a close friend... But other than that. No. I didn't get a single vibe off him. I got more loving vibes from your cat."

"He's said it to me," she said. "That first night... when I went to talk to him... I felt it then. He told me he loved me and he just... held me all night and I don't understand why that changed. Every once in a while he does something that reminds me of that night--" She sniffled and reached up to scrub at her eyes with a fist. "I mean, I know he's not a demonstrative person anyway, and that's fine, but... I just want to feel like I mean something special to him. Is that so much to ask?"

He fell silent for a minute. For once he thought hard before he spoke. "For some people... It is."

"I love him so much," she said quietly. "I've never even wondered why. I just do. I love him so much it's an actual, physical feeling sometimes." She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I just want him to love me," she repeated herself, her voice breaking on the words.

He sighed, and continued massaging her shoulders, resting his chin on top of her head. "I've got a question for you..."

"Mhm?"

"You..." His voice lowered. "You never doubted me...how I felt... Did you?"

"Never for an instant," she replied. "I never had to. I could always tell, just by the way you looked at me--" She choked on a sob.

"Shh..." He hugged her. "It's alright." Against his better judgment he nuzzled her cheek and gave it a quick kiss.

At that she finally gave up fighting tears; her face crumpled and she turned her face to sob brokenly into the pillow.

Face red, Zuko panicked for a moment. Worried that someone would come running, worried if he did something. He chewed his lip and debated what to do. "Shhh...." He murmured, rubbing her back with one hand. "Please don't cry... It's okay...."

"It's not, it's not," she managed. "I just-- want someone-- to love me--"

"You do have someone...." He bit his lip.

She hardly heard him. "All I've-- ever wanted--" She took several deep, shuddering breaths, trying to calm down enough to at least be able to speak. "All I've ever wanted was a family of my own. I wanted to be like my parents, they've been married for decades and they're still just as much in love with each other as they were when they were kids, and that was all I wanted out of life, I just wanted a family like the one I had but mine, and I thought I had it but-- but--" She wailed and turned her face back into the pillow.

"....You probably wouldn't have been happy with me either," he said quietly. "My world...my country....is vastly different from yours. There's a language and thousands of rules and customs you'd have to learn. You'd probably have to hide your magic, or else risk being treated like a freak. As happy as I would've been to have you.... I know you would've been miserable after a while...."

Ginny waited a long time to respond, getting herself under control enough to be able to speak clearly. "What do I do?" she finally whispered.

"....I...." He chewed his lip and glanced away. "I don't know. You know I'm willing to do just about anything for you. After the war ends...and if I make it... You're welcome to stay with me anytime. Mai likes you so she probably wouldn't mind."

She shook her head. "I can't leave him, Zuko. I love him too much. And-- and the baby..." One hand drifted down to rest on her stomach.

"Well...If you need to just get away for a while... Change of scenery? I'd like to have you...." He smirked. "And you know my guy already likes your guy..."

"You don't understand. I need him." Her other hand scrubbed at her eyes again. "It-- he's all tangled up with me," she said, trying to explain how integral he'd become to her very existence. "I can't just--" She made a motion with one hand, placing a fist over her heart and then slinging her arm as though she was throwing something away from her.

"You can't use him to justify your existence." He shook his head. "A man shouldn't complete you. You complete yourself. Your partner needs to work with you, balance you out. For your positive he's your negative and vice versa. You'll never feel happy...until you complete yourself."

"I know. I just... don't know how anymore." She shook her head.

His hands slid up the back of her shirt and he put a little bit of warmth on her back. "It's something that happens with time..."

"I can't keep living like this, though," she said. "I know it's bad for me, I can feel it -- breaking me down and turning me into someone I don't like and I don't know what to do about it."

"Anything you want me to do?" he asked softly, gently moving his hands up and down. "...Is this helping at all?"

She nodded. "Can you maybe just... hold me for a while?" she asked, feeling as she did so another wave of tears trying to sneak up on her. "I just need to feel like somebody cares."

"...Sure," he nodded. He shifted so he could scoop her up and wrap his arms around her. "Like this?"

She sniffled and burrowed into his chest, feeling tears escaping her eyes even though she tried to blink them back. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Mm..." he murmured, resting his chin on top of her head. He wasn't sure what else to do.

Ginny took several minutes to calm herself down, closing her eyes and getting her tears under control. Finally, she sat up, pushing her hair out of her face and wiping at her eyes, hoping she wasn't smearing eye makeup everywhere. "Thanks, Zuko," she said again, offering him the tiniest of smiles.

"Everything is going to be fine," he assured her, even though he wasn't so sure himself. He smiled briefly before sighing and glancing away.

"What is it?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing, nothing," Zuko sighed again, flopping back on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

"Zuko. What."

"It's nothing," he said quietly, but in that Clearly I'm Overthinking About Something And Will Sulk About It In A Few Seconds tone of his.

"I know you far too well to fall for that, love," she said.

"No..." He groaned, flipping himself over so he could smother his face in the pillow.

"I'm only trying to help," she said gently.

He sat up for a moment to gently grab her and pull her back down with him on the bed. "I don't like hovering. Makes me feel like a child."

She snorted and curled up next to him. "Okay. Now tell me what's eating you."

"I wish something was eating me," he grumbled. "Be a nice change."

"Zuko!" She smacked him lightly across the chest. "Seriously. How'm I meant to be a good friend if I can't help you when you're hurting, hmm?"

"I just have a lot to think about," he replied softly, shifting himself to avoid touching her. "Nothing bad, really."

"Zuko." She gave him a Look.

"I'm fine," he said, rolling away from her.

"I don't believe you."

"I'm fine," he repeated.

"And I don't believe you."

"Believe what you will then," he grumbled.

"I just want to help you," she said. "You sat here and listened to me have a freaker. The least I can do is try to help you."

"You did earlier," he reminded her.

"And you're also my friend and I don't like to see my friends hurting," she continued.

"I'm going to 'hurt' for a while," he said quietly. "Nothing you can do."

"I can listen," she offered.

"I already told you what's bugging me," he grumbled.

"Oh." She sighed and gnawed on her lip for a moment. "Zuko..." she said finally. "I'm not going to tell you that you don't have any reason to be scared, because that wouldn't be true. But I do think if you had a little more faith in yourself, you'd feel better about it." She sat up and leaned over so she could see his face. "Please let me help you."

He debated thinking of something else to say on the matter, but he already said what he felt. There was no changing it. "It's fine..." He shook his head as he sat up slightly. "I'll know where I stand soon enough. For now we just got to prepare." He bit his lip. "You hungry at all? I could get you something."

She looked at him for a moment, debating pushing him until he talked to her. Finally, though, she decided to let the subject drop for the time being. "Sure," she said.

"You okay with spice?" he asked, standing up. "That's all I really make."

She shrugged. "Sure. No weird cravings at the moment. Help me up," she added, sticking out a hand.

He took her by the hand and gently helped her to her feet. "This way," he instructed as he guided her out the door. "There's some stuff in the main kitchen."

"Am I supposed to be quiet again?" she stage-whispered as she followed him down the hall.

"Nah," Zuko shrugged. "They know we're here now." He led her down a different staircase to a short corridor that emptied into a larger, better kept kitchen. "In the icebox, I made some soup, if you want some...."

"'Kay." She climbed up to sit on the edge of the giant butcher-block island in the middle of the kitchen. "Where is everybody, anyway?"

"Aang's probably training outside with Katara and Toph," he guessed. "As for Sokka... Well... Suki is his girlfriend.... I don't think I want to know what they're up to." It was hard to hide a grimance and a begrudging look as he sorted through various pots in the icebox before pulling out an iron bowl with a glass lid. He placed it on the stove and his hand on either side. It glowed red for a moment before it started to steam. He then took the lid off and grabbed two bowls from a high cupboard and poured enough for each of them.

"Useful trick," she said, taking the bowl he handed to her. "Before I eat this -- what is it?"

"Hm..." He tapped his head as if it took a lot of thought. "It's called Dragon's Fire Soup here.... Uh... I think I may have had your world's equivalent when I went to a Chinese place with Misa... Um... Hot and Sour, I think?"

"Oh, okay." The soup was hot, but it wasn't too spicy for her to get down. "I liked her," she added after a moment, referring to Suki.

"She's okay," he shrugged and then trook a sip. It would've appeared crude if he were in the Western part of the other world, but he downed it right form the bowl like it was the most normal thing ever. "I admire her skills in combat." And then as an afterthought. "She's not bad for him... Sokka that is..." It was hard to keep a sad glint from hinting in his eyes.

"Mai's good for you," Ginny said. "Much better than that idiot ever was." She still hadn't forgiven Sokka for being so awful to her.

"Hm..." Zuko grunted, glancing out the cracked, slightly opened window, that was above the washbasin. He then brought his attention back to the bowl cupped in his hands. "I know you don't like him... He has his biases... Especially when it comes to things he doesn't understand, or afraid of.... He didn't like me at first, remember?"

"That doesn't excuse him for being an immature berk," she said shortly.

He wasn't sure why he still felt the need to apologize for him, or try to justify his behavior, and Zuko was startled by that fact. "You accept my behavior, and I'm a lot worse than him," he pointed out.

"You've also matured since I met you," she said. "More often than not, when you do something idiotic, it's because you think you're funny. You've grown and gotten better. He hasn't."

"He has so," Zuko snapped bitterly. "I had my doubts when we went to that prison. But he proved himself in the end...." He didn't want to add that several attempts to get back out of the prison had failed, and if it hadn't been for Suki and a prisoner they befriended they probably would still be there at that moment. "He just makes up his mind when he really doesn't like something." He let out a sigh with an expression on his face that was either long-suffering puppy love, or unrelented teenaged lust. Both expressions on his face looked startlingly similar.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Someone's defensive."

"I'm not," he grumbled after downing the last of his soup. He then put the bowl down, folded his arms, and sulked.

"You just snarled at me, Zuko."

"..." He thought for a second. "...No."

"Oh, yes you did." She put her own bowl down, tilting her head consideringly at him. "You're still not over him, are you."

"I am too," he replied a little too quickly, frowning and looking at the window.

"You're not!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"What did I just tell you?" He grumbled.

"Oh, Zuko."

Zuko grunted. "What?"

"You're no good at letting go, are you, sweetheart," she said softly.

"I'm fine," he turned away from her. giving her his back.

"I'm not either, you know," she said gently.

He said nothing, just made a gruff, garbled, annoyed noise.

"I just want you to be happy, love," she told him.

He was highly irritated that the subject had been brought up in the first place. While he was over a lot of things, for some odd reason, this was still a sore spot for him. Probably because he saw Sokka all the time and they both agreed to no longer acknowledge their previous relations. It may have been that reason why he was still hurt. "Whatever."

"What can I do to help, Zuko?" she pressed. She hated seeing him so sad about something, and feeling as though she couldn't fix it.

"Nothing!" Zuko replied a little too sharply, and then turned a chair around and sat in it the wrong way so he could sulk better.

"Zuko." Ginny hopped off the counter and crossed the room to him, crouching down in front of the chair so she was in his line of sight. "You're my best friend. I hate seeing you like this. Please let me help."

"Everything's fine..." he said quietly. "I'm with Mai again. Things are fine." There was a subtle hint of doubt, but he did sound pretty sure of himself.

"I know you better than that," she said.

"If you know me so well then why are you pressing into it?" he grumbled. "I know things happen I can't change, but that doesn't mean I like it, alright? Fuck."

"Because I can tell there's more than just... the war bothering you," she said. "Like I said. You're my best friend. It makes me sad when you're hurting."

"I'm never happy," he said flatly.

"I'd like to think that's not true."

He sighed. "It is."

She hesitated a moment, looking away. "Were you happy when-- when we were together?"

He really did not want to answer that. "Yes..." He said quietly. "...And no."

"...What's that mean?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"I was happy..." he whispered. "...When I was with you. But there was so much going on... It was a nightmare at the same time..."

She nodded. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"I was afraid a lot...." he explained. "I was still a fugitive. I thought Mai had moved on to something...better. And felt down on my luck a lot. When I was with you it was nice....but your friends...and things you did... It was a lot of stress...." He then looked away from her. "...Sorry."

"...Yeah." She stood up and went back to lean against the counter.

He looked up at her. "Did I say something....wrong?"

"No. It's okay." She gave him a small, tight smile.

"No..." Zuko shook his head and stepped over to her. "I don't like that look."

"I'm all right." She played with a bit of her hair. "I'm always all right," she added under her breath, very sardonically.

"No, no," he shook his head. "I know you better than that." He kneeled a bit so he was level with her. "What?"

"I have the strangest sense of deja vu," Ginny said to nobody in particular.

"You just said something similar to me about an hour ago," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I know I did."

"Now it's my turn," he said in a very serious tone. "What is it?"

She shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. "I'm just... not in the happiest of places right now."

"Can I kiss it better?" He asked jokingly.

She just gave him a sad look in response.

"Is that a yes? No? Maybe?" He smirked, looking into her eyes.

"Don't," she protested weakly.

"Alright," he laughed softly. "Just trying to help you feel better."

"Well it's not helping," she snapped.

"...What?" He looked startled and hurt.

"I'm just." She rubbed at her eyes, which were starting to sting. "Not. I don't know. I'm sorry."

"Gin'...." He frowned. "Come on...."

"I don't know what you want me to do," she said flatly.

"Something is bothering you," he said quietly.

"I told you what's bothering me. I did the big fucking emotional breakdown thing." She folded her arms and looked away.

"Don't swear at me, babe," he said sternly. "It's not lady-like." He then quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You know I'd do just about anything for you, yeah?"

"I'm not ladylike. And yeah, I know. Thanks and all, but that really doesn't do much for my emotional state." She knew she was being a bitch, but she couldn't help it.

At that moment, he snapped. Just acted by instinct. He slapped her across the face. "What's the big problem? You've got everything you want. And more. Try jumping into something, knowing you'd lose half your family afterwards. And their blood would be on your hands. You've got it so nice now. So why are you bitching about it?" This was the first time he raised his voice with her in a long while.

Ginny was too shocked to even move. She just stared at him, tears rolling down her face. "How..." she began, but she didn't know what she had been planning to say, so she stopped.

"Why do you do this?" He snapped. "You tell me things get better and it's not so bad. That I should stop worrying and thinking about everything. You've got everything you want. A job you love. Your husband. You've got a family you wanted. The rest of your family is around and happy. You've got nothing to be bitchy about." He lunged at her and pinned her where she stood. "You've got everything. What would you do if you were told that the only way for things to be right in the world would be if you had to kill your parents? Huh? How would you handle that? Or what if you've had everything stripped from you because that's what fate decided? I can't think of a possible reason for you to be upset!"

She flinched away from him. "Let me go, Zuko," she said, her voice unsteady. "Just let me go, and I'll go home."

"Not until you answer this for me," he said, his tone low and even again. He looked her dead in the eye. "Do you honestly regret leaving me, or were you lying?'

"I regret having to hurt you," she said carefully, blinking hard as she tried to stop crying.

"But do you regret leaving me? Like you said earlier?" he repeated.

"I didn't say that," she disagreed.

"It came up in a cry-fit," he said. "When you were going on and on about how fagface doesn't love you."

"No, Zuko." She shook her head.

"Come with me..." he said quietly. "We shouldn't do this here."

"Fine." She climbed off the counter, swiping at her eyes, still not understanding what was going on.

He picked her up swiftly with both his arms, like she weighed next to nothing, and stalked down to the corridor that led to the staircase near his bedroom. "See? I got fancy tricks too."

She shrieked. "Zuko! Stop-- be careful oh my god."

"Don't worry," he smirked, taking the stairs two at a time and then practically flying down the hall to his room. The door burst open when he hit the knob with his knee, and he padded to the bed to set her down on it. After he closed and locked the door he sat beside her. "Better."

She flinched reflexively away from him. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," he shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a hug. "It's just, if you're going to get all scream-y and shit I'd rather do it up here than where people would come running."

"I'm... not..." she trailed off. She didn't want to set him off again by telling him that he was the one who'd been screaming at her.

"Argh...." he groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm a wreck... You're a wreck.... The fuck is wrong with us?"

She shrugged. "I dunno."

"It's like something out there is trying to tell us something and the message isn't getting through," he said thoughtfully.

"Like what?" she asked, getting up and walking toward the window. He was making her nervous; his outburts were never that short and there was undoubtedly another one coming.

"I don't know," Zuko shrugged. "Sorry...about earlier.... I'm just really stressed...."

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry..." he said again.

"I know." She leaned against the windowsill, looking out at the beach. She could barely hear the soft sussurus of the waves rolling in to shore. She could tell she was still crying but she didn't care enough to stop herself.

"Hey..." He went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. ".......Have you ever been in a porno?"

She jumped, not having heard him approach. "No," she said, scowling, as she tried to unobtrusively wipe the tears from her face. "What kind of a question is that, Zuko, honestly."

"Well... I was watching one and the chick looked just like you," he said, ruffling his hair sheepishly. "And you're a model so.....thought I'd ask."

"No. Eurgh." She made a disgusted face. "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"It was hot," he pouted. "I would've been proud."

"I would have hated myself."

"I'd do it," he raised his hand. "It looks silly."

"You can do whatever you want," she said.

"I'm trying to cheer you up here," he said softly. "And I'm running out of options."

"It's not going to work," she said, blinking hard. "Thanks for trying, though."

He thought for a good minute, tapping his chin with his index finger. A mischievious grin spread across his features and he leaned in and licked the tears off her cheek. "How about that?"

She squealed and jumped, not having expected him to lick her, of all things. "Zuko!" she shrieked.

"Did it work?" He blinked.

"Oh-- Zuko..." She turned and let her head fall against his chest. "Thank you for trying," she said again. "I just... don't have any laughter in me right now."

"There is something else I could do..." His voice lowered to a whisper. "Used to work before. Back when you'd come to me to chase your nightmares away. But I don't think I should...."

She shook her head. "No."

"I..." He sighed. "I just want to make you happy."

"I know," she said in a small voice. "I want you to be happy too."

Zuko pulled her in for a hug and held her close. "I think you're my Kryptonite."

"Your what?" she asked, amusement tingeing her voice.

"'Maru gave me this thing to read called 'Superman'. Said if I read about any superhero, he was the best one because he wasn't an angsty douchebag. Anyway, he's like superhuman but this rock called Kryptonite weakens him and he can't fight or do much of anything when he's around it. It's pretty interesting." he said in a lighthearted tone.

She spluttered. "So I'm a rock?" she asked, teasing him.

"Uh....like a rock?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"You're ridiculous," she said fondly.

"You going to stop weeping all over me?" He smirked. "I only have so many shirts."

"Yeah. F'r now."

"What do you mean 'for now'?" He chuckled.

"I'm hormonally imbalanced, I can't make any promises." She turned her head to rest her cheek against his chest and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. "You're nice to hug," she said softly.

"Then hug me all you want," he said quietly, still holding her.

"'Kay," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Anything else I'm nice for?" He asked with a smile.

"For being my best friend," she offered.

"That's cool." He nodded.

She snorted and looked up at him, sort of amused. "What's that mean?"

"What?" He blinked.

"Heh. Never mind." She dropped her head back down to his chest again.

"Hey..." he murmured. "Is part of the reason you're upset....is because you don't feel pretty anymore?"

She shook her head. "I'm not even a bit worried about that. I know I'm attractive, that's all that matters."

"I envy your confidence," he smirked.

She shrugged. "I wouldn't be a model if I wasn't attractive." She said it matter-of-factly.

"Doesn't mean you can't have bouts of insecurity," he shrugged.

"I'm not."

"At least when people stare at you, it's a good thing." He smirked.

She sighed and looked up at him. "Zuko."

"What?" he half-whined. "It's true. You're pretty, and I'm a freak. You're beauty and I'm...." For some reason he sensed that would be a pun of some sort.

She leveled an exasperated look at him. "How many times have we had this conversation?" she asked rhetorically.

"It is true and you know it." He folded his arms.

She rubbed a hand over her eyes. "You know what. I don't have the energy for this argument right now."

Sighing, he pulled her closer to him. "You can rest on me if you want to....or something." He shrugged. "I could rub your back again."

"I'm fine, really."

"You sure?" He rested his chin on her shoulder and blinked up at her.

She giggled at him. "Yes. I promise."

"Could I make it better or worse?" He blinked again.

"No." She ruffled his hair and smiled. "It's fine."

"I still think you're pretty," he informed her.

Ginny giggled. "Good to know."

For a minute he was at a loss. "You want to stay here tonight?" ...That came from nowhere.

"No, it's all right. I need to talk to Light anyway." She patted his head. "Thank you, though."

"You sure?" He tried not to look disappointed.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm not going to solve anything by running away."

"Alright," Zuko nodded and then stepped over to a trunk and rummaged through it. "Before you go..." He pulled out a knife. "My uncle gave this to me a long time ago...." He held it out to her. "I want you to have it... In case I... Yeah."

"Oh, Zuko," she breathed, reaching out to take it carefully from him. "...I'll hold onto it for you," she agreed after a moment, smiling at him. "But only until after your big battle. Then I'm giving it back."

"Fine," he nodded. "Well...I guess...this is it...."

Ginny threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You be careful," she whispered in his ear, her tone fierce. "I am not losing you, do you hear me?"

"You have me," he replied quietly, hugging her back just as tightly before pulling away. "But things will be different."

"As long as you're careful, I don't care," she said. She reached up and pulled his head down to kiss his forehead.

"I will be," he nodded. "It's getting late here.... Your husband's probably already home. I'll let you know what happens...."

"Damn straight you will." She hugged him again. "I'll see you later, Zuko."

"See you later, Gin." He nodded with a smile.

She stepped away from him, smiling back as she sketched a salute before Disapparating.


	23. Conclusion

_**Keep Holding On**_

**Conclusion!**

_-;-_

So! That's all that could be recovered of the many logs of the Zuko/Ginny romance. In case you didn't notice, there was a major jump in time between Chapters 14 and 15/16. Sorry for any confusion it may have caused!

Note: There were many other logs, but these were all the ones I could recover. Any posted after this note will be the ones we were able to find later (and they'll be properly dated as well).

Thanks for reading this garbage! Let us know what you think!

For more of their adventures not in prose, check out: pyro-zuko(dot)livejournal(dot)com hex-you-up(dot)livejournal(dot)com and (search their "log" tags)

_-;-_

_**Thanks again!**_


	24. Chapter 131415 somewhere in there XD

Ginny was sitting on a swing at the park where she had agreed to meet Zuko, swaying slightly back and forth. This probably wasn't the best idea she'd ever had, she realised, especially as she hadn't told Light where she was going before she left, but... She shook her head, trying to clear it.

There was a soft cracking sound not too far away. The heavy bottoms of Zuko's thick-soled boots crunched the fallen twigs that lay scattered on the ground. He stopped for a moment, hesitantly. Their previous encounter since....hadn't exactly been the most pleasant experience. Hell, Katara had even advised against it, but that was partially because of a different matter. Eyes cast downwards to the floor, before he picked his head back up and stepped around behind her. He held onto the thick metal pole that was one of the supports on the swingset and leaned against it. "Hey."

She offered him a small smile. "Hey yourself," she said. "So..."

"So..." There was a brief moment of silence as his voice trailed off. He cast his glance away from here for a second and strummed his fingers on the metal bar. "I'm sorry for....you know...getting on your nerves before...." He smirked.

"You always get on my nerves, Zuko." Her smile grew to a grin. "It's all right, though, I don't mind."

He smirked back at her and swung around the pole slightly. "I couldn't help it. I got some pretty hysterical imagery. When I told Katara she fell out of her chair and nearly had an asthma attack."

"It's really not funny, I've enough stress as it is," Ginny informed him dryly.

"Just picture this," he grinned and then demonstrated with various gestures. "You're sitting there, on the couch with your laptop minding your own business and then all of a sudden a fully grown child crawls out of you....and then another and another like some sort of sci-fi baby factory. Going by your reactions that's what I thought had happened." He had to try very hard not to start snickering.

Ginny let go of the swing chains and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. She couldn't say she was particularly amused.

"You really did lose your sense of humor," he commented quietly, leaning back against the pole, looking up at the sky.

"I did not!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah," he said, looking at her seriously. "You did. Something in you's changed. I don't like it."

Personally, she thought that if anything about her had changed, it was for the better, but still. "Something, like what?" she asked.

"Well...." He lovered his voice, his eyes showing concern.

"What, Zuko."

"Don't take this the wrong way....I don't mean it to be too bad...." He hesitated again, and then bit his lip. "Your spirit is just....lost. You used to have an air of freedom about you.....but now, not so much. I don't know if it's just stress but I miss it."

"It's the stress," she agreed quickly.

"..." His lips formed a thin line. "No......" He shook his head. "I know you better than that." After sighing softly he stepped around behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "If something's wrong you can tell me."

She sighed as well and closed her eyes, leaning back unconsciously against the pressure of his hands. "...I'm scared," she admitted finally.

"..." Zuko fell silent and peered down at her. "If it's something you want....then why are you afraid?"

Ginny shook her head. "Not of getting married, that I'm thrilled about... I'm scared of buggering up my relationship with him, like--" She hesitated. "Like I did with you," she finally finished, quietly.

He inhaled softly, yet audibly, and momentarily closed his eyes. "As much as I'd love to see the guy suffer...." His tone softened. "If he truly loves you like he says he does, then even if you do make a mistake, he'll forgive you. Things happen that we can't always predict, but the important thing is that we redeem ourselves. If he can't accept you for who you are, flaws, slip ups, everything, then he isn't the one for you. He has to love you no matter what...." He lowered his voice even more, to just above a whisper. "No matter how much it hurts."

"Still," she said, her voice still soft, and began gnawing on her thumbnail, unable to look at him or think of anything else to say.

"Look," he gently rubbed her shoulders, reassuringly. "Try not to think about what might happen. If you don't want to mess things up, then don't. Think before you act. Think clearly before you decide to do something. It's only if you act upon your initial instinct will you risk screwing up. Don't worry about it right now. What happens, happens. We can't decide our fate, but we can control what happens."

She could almost feel the tension draining out of her. "...Yeah," she agreed after a moment, smiling slightly.

Seeing her smile almost made him melt on the spot. "You haven't smiled like that in a long time," he commented quietly, pulling her back into his arms for a gentle hug.

She relaxed against him, sighing softly. "You don't think so?"

"No," Zuko shook his head then went silent. He was quiet for several minutes, just breathing softly while holding her. He looked down at the ground and bit his lip before speaking again. "This may be the last time you'll hear from me for a while..."

Ginny sat up abruptly, rattling the swing chains. "What? Where're you going?"

"After talking to Katara....." His voice was low. "I've decided it's time I went back home. I don't care anymore what Azula does to me. She has Mai. I can't sleep at night knowing she could be in danger. I......" His voice cracked and he closed his eyes, his tone gentle and he whispered. "I love her."

"Good," she said decisively after a moment, twisting around in the swing to hug him. "I want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy too," he replied softly, hugging her back. "I don't want to see you get hurt ever again."

"I am happy, I swear," she told him. "It's you I'm worried about, sometimes I think you don't believe you deserve to be happy."

"I don't," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm not a good person, I know that. I've done terrible things...Things I wish I hadn't done, or could take back. You're good, you deserve every bit of happiness you get."

"Oh, Zuko, please don't let's have this argument again," she said, a note of pleading in her voice. "You know that's not true."

"It is, Ginny," he told her firmly. "I'm not good. My intentions for some things I do are hardly honorable. To get what I want I know that there will have to be sacrifices.... Happiness being one of them."

"You are," she disagreed. "Zuko we've had this conversation a million times. You shouldn't have to sacrifice the chance to be happy just because you think you need to, you don't, that's mad!"

"I have my responsibilities," he said flatly. "There are things that need to be done. You wouldn't fully understand and I don't expect you to. I don't want you to have to face some of the nightmares that lie ahead for me. Your place is here, happy and content. My place is there, getting rid of my sister and helping Aang any way I can. You have your path and I have mine."

She sighed and hugged him again. "I'm sorry, love."

"What are you sorry for?" He asked with a brow raised. "You didn't do anything."

"Doesn't mean I don't wish things had turned out better for you," she said quietly.

"If there's one thing I've learned," he said lowly, turning away from her. "It's that wishes don't come true."

"...I'm sorry," she said again.

"I want you to promise me something," Zuko turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Even though we aren't together anymore, you're still in danger. Please, be careful. Not everyone can be trusted."

She blinked at him, taken aback. "I will. Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

"I have faith in you," he nodded. "I'll try my hardest to keep you safe, despite everything I still have sworn allegiance to you. However, I cannot promise that I will always be there if things turn ugly. Which is why I want you to be on guard."

"I trust you," she said, smiling, and reached out to tug on a lock of his hair. "I'll be all right."

He flashed her a smile and then swung around the pole of the swingset. "You're getting married soon, huh? Must be exciting."

Her smile widened. "Yeah, it is."

"How do people in this world marry, anyway? Is it like, some sort of major ceremony?" He asked.

"Generally speaking, yes. This one will be." She grinned. "Going for the big white dress and everything."

"...White dress?" Zuko looked confused.

She giggled at him, turning in the swing so that the chains twisted around each other. "The traditional Western ceremony has the bride and the groom obviously, and generally the bride wears a white gown. There're bridesmaids and groomsmen too usually." She stopped twisting and let the chains unwind as she continued. "The bride's father walks her down the aisle and gives her away, and the bride and groom exchange vows, and wedding rings. Then after the ceremony there's a big reception with food and dancing and often champagne." She stopped spinning, her toes dragging in the dirt under the swingset.

"...Sounds like an excuse for expensive jewelery, fancy clothes, and to get wasted....." He frowned, though his eyes expressed amusement.

"Largely, yeah," she said, giggling again.

"I've always hated those sorts of things," he said, jumping up to grip at the bar the swings' chains were attached to and pulled himself up. "Lots of noise." He peered down at her and swung slightly.

"Oh, the reception, perhaps," she said, hanging onto the chains and leaning back to look up at him. "Not the ceremony though and really that's the point."

"Aren't there documents you sign?" He asked, swinging himself around so her could wrap his legs around the pole and climb across along it. "To make things official?" He tried to inch further along, but he caught himself on the support of the swing and slipped, thus slipping off and falling flat on his face on the ground in front of her.

Ginny cracked up and got up out of the swing, crouching down to help him up. "You all right, love?" she asked, amused.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, getting to his feet and brushing himself off. He glanced up at a twig that got caught in his hair.

Still giggling, she reached up and took the twig out of his hair, holding it out to him. "Sure you're all right?"

"Yeah," he nodded with a smile and took the twig, only to flick it away. "I'm fine." He leaned forward and loosely wrapped his arms around her, giving her a light peck on the cheek.

She froze, her arms caught between them. "Zuko..." she whispered.

"Mm?" He blinked.

She shook her head, not sure what to say.

"Is something wrong?" He asked quietly, letting go and taking a step back.

"No... no, it's all right," she said, flustered, looking down at the ground and pushing her hair back out of her face.

"..." He looked down too, very awkward, and nudged a small rock with his foot.

She gnawed on her lip, backing up to sit on the swing again.

He sighed and made a small ball of fire in his palm. Frowning, he idly played with it, rotating it all around his hand and tossed it around between both of his hands. Yep....that was awkward. Time for a distraction.

Ginny looked up through the hair that had fallen back in her face at him as he tossed the ball of fire back and forth. Well now what, she thought. She had definitely enjoyed having his arms around her far more than she should have.

He purposely kept his back to her, not wanting to make the situation any worse. 'Idiot!' He thought to himself. 'Why did you have to be all emotional and stupid?' He kept his concentration on playing with the bit of fire....until it slipped and caught on a nearby tree. Oops. "Shit!" Zuko exclaimed.

"Zuko!" Ginny exclaimed, sitting upright. "You set the fucking tree on fire! The hell?"

"It was an accident!" He retorted, not wanting to mention it was because he was distracted by being embarrassed about hugging her. "Use your magic or something!"

"Er--" she pulled out her wand, thinking for a minute, before smacking her forehead and sending a wave of water over the tree, dousing the fire.

He stiffened and brushed himself off, trying to look all confident. "That was a test."

"A test of what, pray tell?" she asked, giving him an ironic look.

"Your reaction, and ability to defend yourself..." He cast her a sideways glance. "A bit slow. I'm not sure what would've happened if you were attacked. Lucky for you, trees don't walk."

In the background, very, very far away, almost inaudible, came the sound of male screaming. Deidara was running from a mob of angry trees. What he got for not thinking of them when he blew up half a forest.

"Sure it was, Zuko," she said dryly, clearly not believing him.

"It so was," he frowned.

"Uh-hunh."

"Come on, it's not like I hurt you," he sighed. "Girls are such crazy creatures."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him and pushed against the ground with her feet, swinging slightly.

"Don't stick your tongue out at me, woman," he said playfully and then stepped around behind her and gripped onto the chains of the swing. "It's rude in any culture."

"I am trying to swing," she informed him, with great dignity, and stuck her nose in the air. "Kindly let go."

"Trying to swing, huh?" Zuko smirked and gave her a gentle push, sending her forward a few inches. "You're not very good at it."

"That's because you're in the way," she said, giggling again, as the swing moved back again and she bumped against him.

"Even when I wasn't in the way you weren't going all that high," he said, pushing her a little harder this time.

She wrapped her arms around the chains. "Well no, not yet."

"What's the point of these things anyway?" He asked as he gave her another push, sending her, while on the swing, a good couple feet high.

"It's fun, there doesn't have to be a point," she told him, her hair flying into her face.

"Well it's silly," he frowned, though he continued to push her. "What's it supposed to teach you? This is a poor tool for training children."

"It's not supposed to teach you anything! Or train you," she said, laughing at him. "It's fun, is all." She tipped her head back, looking at him upside-down.

"....I'm not sure if I understand," He pondered, looking down at her as he pushed her.

"Get on the other one," she said, motioning at the swing next to hers with her head.

"Alright," Zuko nodded and stepped out from behind her and sat on the one she pointed to. "Now what?"

Ginny dragged her feet in the dirt again, stopping herself. "Push off from the ground with your feet. When you swing forward, kick your legs out. When you swing back, tuck your knees up." She demonstrated, pushing off hard against the ground and swinging up high past him.

"Like this?" He asked, pushing off the ground, closely following what she had demonstrated, but didn't swing all that high.

"Yeah!" She swung past him again, hair whipping back into her face. "Just kick your legs harder, you'll go higher."

"Huh," he murmured, kicking harder causing him to go a little higher. After swinging a few times he sighed. "This still seems rather pointless."

"You have to go higher!" she called, her swing now high enough to be almost parallel to the ground. "It's like flying!" She threw her head back and laughed.

He watched her from the corner of his eye and his face flushed. Seeing her look so content and elated gave him a very warm feeling. Smirking, he tried even harder until he was level with her. "This isn't so hard."

She looked over at him, grinning widely. "See? It's fun!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he smiled and looked back at her. Gods she looked so happy..... Suddenly, he slowed down and firmly planted his feet on the ground. He looked down, his bangs hiding his eyes in shadow.

"Hey." She swooped past him. "What's the matter?"

Ginny dug her heels into the dirt, stopping herself fast enough that the swing spun sideways. "Hey. Zuko. What?"

"I can't do this." He stood abruptly.

"Zuko..." She looked up at him, frowning.

"You're getting married." He stated the obvious, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, I am," she agreed.

"I'd better go," he took a few steps forward and then paused, turning his head to peer over his shoulder. "Congratulations, I hope you two have a happy life together."

"Zuko..." She stood up and followed him. "Please don't just run off."

"Why?" He glowered.

"That sounded awfully final," she said in response.

"Because it is."

"What if I don't want it to be?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" He turned around fully to face her.

"Before anything else we were friends," she said softly. "I don't want to lose that."

"We haven't," he whispered.

"And I don't want to," she repeated.

"Then what do you want from me?"

"I want you to stay my friend," she said, as though it were obvious. "I still care about you, Zuko, I've told you that, that's not going to change."

"They say if you love someone let them go...." He said quietly, looking away from her.

"Cliches are stupid."

"He hates me."

"He also accepts that I'm my own person, and he trusts me to make my own decisions," she said.

"If I was a weaker man I'd have killed him," he said lowly.

"But you aren't."

"Doesn't mean I hadn't thought about it."

"Doesn't mean he wouldn't be happy to see you dead, either. I don't like it, but I know it's true." She shrugged. "I've had to accept that the two of you will never be able to get along. That doesn't mean I'm going to push you aside just because I'm with him now."

"..." He fell silent again and took another few steps away from her, then sighed. "Why do you keep putting yourself in positions like this?"

"...What d'you mean?"

"Despite the amount of time I've spent here, I still don't understand most of the ways of this world, and probably never will." He kicked at a stone. "I can't fathom why you'd show blatant acts of disloyalty to someone you intend on swearing the rest of your life to....just to see me again. I just hope he doesn't hurt you because of it."

She watched him for a moment, trying to form a response. "He wouldn't hurt me," she said finally. "And yeah, he probably won't be terribly happy I'm here. But what I don't think you understand yet is that I'll never not consider you a friend. You've been such a part of my life..." She shook her head. "I can't lose you entirely."

"You're risking putting yourself in grave danger by pursuing to retain a friendship with me," he informed her quietly.

"I've been putting myself in danger to be friends with people since I was eleven years old and I met Harry," she told him dryly.

"Still..." He started walking away. "What happens to you now is no longer my responsibility. Keep that in mind."

"...I know it isn't." She followed him. "Would you stop walking off on me?"

"What's left to say? I've no longer any reason to hang around," he replied, continuing to walk.

"Zuko!" She caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Are you going to let me be your friend, or not?" she asked his back.

"I don't know...." Zuko said finally, frowning. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not defenceless."

"I think I'm aware of more than you realise," she said, still not letting go of his arm. "But thank you for being so concerned." She stepped a bit closer to him. "I promise I'll stay safe, just so long as you promise not to do anything rash."

"I've got nothing left," he whispered softly. "I've realized that I'm needed back at home....With Mai, with my sister. That's all there really is anymore."

"Promise me," she said firmly, still talking to his back. She tugged on his arm for emphasis.

"I..." He turned to face her. "I do. I promise."

"What are you promising?" she asked, looking him directly in the eyes. She wanted to make sure he wasn't going to try ducking out of it.

"That I won't do anything stupid or rash," he replied instantly, his voice sounding a little harsher than he meant for it to.

"Zuko..." she said. "Come on, don't be like that."

"Don't be like what?" He frowned.

"Listen to yourself," she said softly. "You sound so angry."

"What else am I supposed to sound like?" Zuko snapped, his brow furrowing. He really had no idea that he was sounding utterly pissed off when all he was was just feeling his inner turmoil bubbling over.

Ginny hesitated for a moment and then let go of his arm, stepping forward again to hug him tightly. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest. "Just be safe," she said, her voice still quiet. "We may not be together anymore, but I still don't want to see you get hurt."

"...I know," He said finally, his voice softening, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I promise you, I'll be fine."

"That's all I ask," she said, leaning back so she could look at him.

He sighed and fell silent for a minute, then shrugged. "Look, it's not like you don't know where to find me. If you really need me, I'll be there. Okay?"

She nodded. "Just be careful."

"I will," Zuko nodded and then stepped away. "I'd better be going. I'd walk you back but... Well, you know."

She nodded again. "I know." She kissed her index finger and tapped it on the end of his nose. "Call me when you get to your world, all right? So I know you made it okay?"

"I will.... If the phone works," he winked at her and then turned to walk off.

"Bye Zuko," she called after him, feeling sad all of a sudden.

"Bye," he waved casually over his shoulder as he left. He didn't really want to leave, but felt it'd be for the best. No need to complicate things any further.


End file.
